Court proceedings for the state’s lawsuit to expropriate 77 acres of land east of Bowie Road for a student recreation center and culinary arts building will begin Feb. 14 in Lafourche Parish. The initial court hearing is set on that date, University President Stephen Hulbert said. “We will begin to learn how long it will take after February 14,” he said.

The lawsuit against Acadia Agricultural Holdings LLC, filed on behalf of the state by the Lafayette law firm Oats and Hudson, requested an expedited trial at the earliest possible time 60 days after the suit was filed. The trial will begin 64 days after the suit was filed.

Students have been paying a $74.25 per semester recreation fee since fall 2002.

Hulbert said students have a right to be frustrated about the slow progress, which he said Hurricane Katrina played a role in. However, he said it is common for a university to initiate fees for construction projects funded by a class of students that never sees the finished project.

“That doesn’t lessen the frustration of the students,” Hulbert said. “But we have to have land to be able to build.”

The University had planned to purchase 110 acres from Acadia; however, that number has dwindled, along with the $5 million the state allocated for the purchase of the land. Hulbert said court, attorney and appraisal fees have reduced the $5 million.

“The attempt is to ensure that we’re not over-expropriating against the available dollar resources,” he said.

Hulbert said he shares the students’ frustrations.

“I find it somewhere between amazing and incredibly frustrating that we could have $5 million in cash for several years and not be able to spend it to buy land,” Hulbert said.

Hulbert said the extra 33 acres were intended for future growth of the University, such as building an event center.

“Nicholls is the only four-year public university in Louisiana without one,” Hulbert said. “But for now, the University’s top two priorities are the recreation center and the culinary arts building- the recreation center first on the list.”

Construction of the recreation center will begin once the architects, Gossen-Holloway and Associates of Thibodaux, can finish the foundation design and a bid is accepted, Hulbert said.

In regards to the University’s second priority, Anne Parr, assistant culinary professor, said the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute is “definitely outgrowing current facilities.”

She said for lab classes there is not enough kitchen space to fit all the students.

“We’re scrambling to renovate and add as much kitchen space as we can, but there’s limits to what we can do,” Parr said.

The lack of space has forced the culinary faculty to schedule classes from early morning until late at night, she said.

“We’re considering Saturday classes, maybe intersession classes, more summer classes,” Parr said. “Which is a lot to put on the faculty because we only have five full-time faculty, and we’re working from morning to night.”

Parr said the culinary program has continued to grow each year since it was opened 10 years ago.

“We need the new building so we can offer students more one-on-one attention, better equipment and a wider variety of classes,” she said.

Parr said the building’s expected cost is $13 million and will be funded by corporate donations and grants.