by Daniel Perez, El Paso MattersAugust 13, 2024
Texas Tech University System Board voted 8-0 to approve the $6. 3 million spending on the design of the planned clinical science building on Texas Tech Health’s El Paso campus at its Aug. 8-9 quarterly meeting at the system’s headquarters in Lubbock.
The proposed five-story, 352,000-square-foot design will be built at the north end of the campus near Interstate 10. Two-thirds of the construction will be for clinical sciences and will cost approximately $186 million. The rest will space out Steve and Nancy Fox Cancer Center. Its second-level design process began in June 2023.
Billy Breedlove, vice chancellor for facilities planning and construction, said the Clinical Services Center and Cancer Center are being pursued as two separate projects with two separate investment streams. The regents’ recent resolution involved only the clinical sciences aspect. Regent Cody Campbell is not present.
As presented, clinical science would be located at the south end of the building. Each center would have its own entrance.
The expense will cover design development, document structure and administration, as well as cost estimates and the clinical sciences support plan to catch up with the cancer center. The two centers will be built simultaneously.
Richard Lange, president of TTHEP, said the regents’ decision is a vital milestone in the university’s project to provide world-class cancer care at the Borderplex.
“This allows us to move forward with our plans to build a future where each and every patient receives the highest level of compassionate, comprehensive care close to home,” Lange said. “We look forward to starting work here at Texas Tech Health El Paso soon. “
Breedlove, whose presentation included a conceptual plan and a cross-section of the construction, said the new construction would do the paintings of 3 existing buildings and would be more economical. He added that TTHEP’s existing clinical science space, approximately 173,000 square feet, is located in the assets of University Medical Center of El Paso and has benefited netpaintings for approximately 40 years. It sees around 1,200 patients during the day and at full capacity during the day.
The new construction will continue to offer existing clinical features such as the Breast Care Center, Surgery, Neurology, Pediatrics, Ophthalmology, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, and several subspecialties.
“We’ve had our meetings (and) we’ve included all of those doctors in all of this, so their input is greatly appreciated by our design team,” said Breedlove, who added that his collaborators are working with HDR, one of the design largest doctor of this project.
Both centers will feature exam rooms and clinical practices at the Paul L. Foster, such as nurses’ stations, medication storage lab, clinical supply rooms, and waiting areas.
The conceptual design included a parking garage with about 1,000 spaces, but Breedlove said designers could simply recommend building the first spot of a parking garage. He mentioned that his team was looking to fulfill every imaginable wish and offer the kind of features for the next. 20 years that may simply involve the desire to acquire more nearby homes.
The budget approved on August 8, along with the $2. 3 million approved in the past, will be made through the Revenue Financing System and will be reimbursed through statutory allocations for capital structure assistance projects, as well as grants and institutional budgeting.
Breedlove said investment resources for separate projects that are components of the same construction are among the demanding project situations.
Dustin R. Womble, chair of the Facilities Committee, questioned how this type of combined allocation can create long-term conflicts over how expenses are distributed. Breedlove said the formula will have to work hard to get prices spread out well.
Another challenge will be how to manage existing rail operations on tracks just south of the proposed site. Breedlove said Lange was seeking to create a “quiet zone” in this domain where trains are known to whistle long and loud daily.
A TTHEP spokesman said Lange was in initial discussions with several shipping entities to discuss options. Breedlove mentioned an early concept of a tunnel that would allow cars and pedestrians to pass under the railroad area, and hinted that this could simply involve the acquisition of additional property.
Board President Mark Griffin asked Lange earlier in the meeting if more land was needed for the project.
“We are at the last level of realization,” Lange said.
When Regents asked for an allocation schedule, Breedlove said he expected to provide design packages in November, as well as site and application packages, some basic packages in February, and a guaranteed maximum value through May. He said that the entire budget for the task should be allocated until June 2025. He said the site was essentially cleared and the structure was expected to take no more than 3 years.
The Regents approved the initial concept for the Clinical Sciences Building in November 2023. They awarded just over $2 million for the initial design that would include charge estimates and an allocation schedule. In May, regents approved spending $307,000 for the allocation’s pre-construction activities, such as site investigation and a constructability review, as well as the design of the oncology clinic.
This article was first published on El Paso Matters and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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