Ground-breaking for the rec center is tentaively set for Dec. 15 as Lamar Contractors Inc. of Luling has placed the lowest of eight construction bids at $15,213,000 on Oct. 28.During bidding, interested contractors also submitted bids for three alternate projects, including the construction of a second outdoor softball field, lights on metal poles to serve the intramural fields and lights on wooden poles to serve the intramural fields.

Mike Davis, assistant vice president of administration, said the University has been in contact with Lamar Contractors and is in the process of “crunching numbers to decide which of the alternate projects will be included in the package.”

The Nicholls State University Facilities Corporation, a private corporation with a board of five members, will assist in this project by leasing the property from the University, overseeing the construction, then leasing the completed project back to the University. This will allow the University to complete the project more quickly, Davis said.

Once Lamar Contractors receives a formal notice of their selection and the contract is finalized, the company will have 535 days to complete the 63,000 square foot project on the corner of Bowie and Ardoyne Roads on the southwest side of campus.

The University hopes to complete all necessary paperwork for the construction within the next month, Davis said. The goal is to see the rec center completed by late June or early July 2012. The hope is that the center will be available for use in fall 2012.

Once construction is complete, the rec center will offer students, faculty, staff and alumni a cardio room, a strength and weight training room, an indoor walking track, two studios for group classes, gyms for basketball and volleyball, a snack bar and locker rooms.

“We’ve lived and breathed this project for many years,” Davis said. “We are excited to see it finally getting started.