College building approved

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

CARSON CITY - Nevada State College's first new building - late and smaller than originally expected - finally will get off the drawing board.

The state Public Works Board on Monday approved the design by the firm of Carpenter-Sellers Architects that calls for a two-story building with six classrooms and five labs plus staff offices.

"We're finally ready to go," said Gus Nunez, deputy manager of the board. "We're on budget and slightly ahead of schedule."

Sunny Kamath, project architect for the board, said bids will probably be sought next January and construction would take about a year.

Originally designed for 100,000 square feet, it has been downsized to 42,000 square feet because of rising construction costs and supporters' failure to raise money.

The 2001 Legislature approved $23.4 million for an academic and student services building with $10 million to be collected from private donations. Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, and others agreed to raise $10 million. But the school collected only $1 million. After delays the 2005 Legislature gave the school $9 million to make up for the lack of private money.

Michael Delgado, a principal of Carpenter-Sellers, said the construction budget was $17.5 million for the property, which was donated by Henderson .

The two-story building will be located on a hillside, and it is designed so it can be expanded in the future.