BIRMINGHAM — The University of Alabama System board of trustees on Friday will consider a proposal to expand UA’s nursing college building, a proposal propelled by a demand for space in the seven-year-old structure that outstrips capacity.
“The state of Alabama needs more nurses,” said Suzanne Prevost, dean of the Capstone College of Nursing. “We have hundreds of students every semester who want to be nurses.”
The pool of students interested in the program exceeds the college’s capacity in its currently building, Prevost said Thursday.
Preliminary plans for a $17.8 million addition to the west side of the building on University Boulevard were approved by the board’s Physical Properties Committee on Thursday.
The three-story addition will add 32,000 square feet and include classroom, study areas, labs, examination rooms, and office and conference space.
“We need a lot of office space,” Prevost said.
The project would also add a dining venue for students in the building.
Funding for the project would be divided between gifts and university funds. Fundraising will provide $17.5 million of the cost with the rest coming from university funds.
UA is proposing waiving the consultant selection process to choose TurnerBatson Architects of Birmingham to design the addition. The firm designed the existing nursing building, which was constructed with a future expansion in mind, said Mike Lanier with HOAR Program Management.
The Physical Properties Committee also approved a proposal to revise the scope of Lakeside Dining renovation, to add new kitchen and dishwashing equipment and a 50-seat Latin-inspired street taco venue. The budget for the project would increase by $2.5 million to $7 million.
The trustees approved revising the scope of the latest phase of the east University Boulevard improvements to re-introduce work between McFarland Boulevard and Helen Keller Boulevard that was previously deferred. The budget would increase by $3 million to $16.5 million.
The committee also gave preliminary approval to the architectural designs for a $3.1 million addition to the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority house. The three-story addition to the 2012 house will add 6,000 square feet for more dining space and bedrooms.