Construction of the campus recreation center is expected to begin around May of next year and could take approximately 18 to 24 months to complete, according to University officials.Mike Davis, assistant vice president of administration, said construction of the rec. center could begin as soon as May of 2010, possibly sooner. According to Davis, there is a lengthy approval process that the program must go through before construction begins.

Once the designs for the building, which Davis hopes are completed by this August, are finalized, the program must receive final approval from six different committees before the bidding process can begin. Once a construction company is awarded the bid and the University sells the bonds to fund the project, construction will commence.

In a timeline released by Stephen Hulbert, University President, the approval and bidding processes are projected to take approximately nine months to complete. Davis said the construction of the rec. center could take approximately 18 to 24 months to complete depending on the program’s contractor.

Davis said construction costs are falling throughout the state and more contractors are interested in winning bids for projects like the rec. center. “It’s unusual but welcome because this competition drives down the price of construction,” Davis said. With construction prices going down, Davis said possible alternates to the rec. center plans could include improving the finishes within the building or adding another basketball court.

Students have expressed disappointment in the construction of the rec. center taking so long to get started. Jeremy Benoit, pre med biology sophomore from Thibodaux, said he doubts the center will be completed before he graduates. “I don’t think we’ll ever be able to use it,” he said.

Megan Giglio, nursing sophomore from Thibodaux, agreed and said she would not mind the delays in construction if alumni would be allowed to use the center. As of right now, it has not been decided if alumni will be allowed to use the center.

Davis said he regrets it has taken so long for construction on the rec. center to begin as it puts a damper on all the other projects the school has completed in the last few years such as the renovations to the cafeteria and the construction of the La Maison du Bayou apartments. “We understand the students’ frustration because we’re just as frustrated,” Davis said. “A school’s rec. center is usually a hub for student activity, and it’s unfortunate the state won’t pay for it.