THIBODAUX – Construction of the Harold J. Callais Memorial Recreation Center at Nicholls State University will begin before the end of the year, Nicholls State University officials announced today.
Lamar Contractors Inc. of Luling, La., will construct the 63,000-square-foot facility near the intersection of Bowie Road and Ardoyne Drive, having submitted a bid of $15,213,000 during the open bidding process last month. Student fees will fund both the construction and operation of the facility – measures that were previously approved via student referenda.
“I am very pleased that this long-anticipated project is getting underway,” Dr. Stephen T. Hulbert, university president, said. “Our university has always promoted the physical health and well being of its students, so we are quite excited that past, current and future students will be able to make use of a new, comprehensive recreational facility. I count it as one more reason that Nicholls remains the university of choice in the Louisiana Bayou Region.”
The Nicholls Facilities Corporation, a 501(c)3 private, non-profit entity which assists the university with construction projects, is responsible for the facility. Additional projects recently overseen by the corporation include the construction of new housing facilities, the resurfacing of campus streets and parking lots and the renovation of Galliano Dining Hall.
Eugene G. “Bubba” Gouaux Jr., a Lockport attorney, chairs the corporation board. Other members include Vice Chair Joseph Kolwe, a Thibodaux accountant; Secretary-Treasurer Mike Gauthier, a retired Thibodaux banker; and two Nicholls administrators: Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services Eugene Dial and Assistant Vice President for Finance Mike Naquin. The corporation, formed in 2002, leases land from Nicholls, makes improvements and then leases the project back to the university.
For additional information about the recreation center, including a video, artist’s renderings and frequently-asked questions, go to www.nicholls.edu/recreation/. Ceremonial groundbreaking details are pending and will be announced at a later date.
