Houmatoday
Nicholls State University in Thibodaux will begin preliminary work next year on a $14.5 million Coastal Center that will serve as a hub for research on Louisiana's eroding wetlands and how to preserve and restore them.
“As the state university that is geographically closest to the coast, Nicholls is at the epicenter of our coastal land loss crisis and is ideally situated to host this Coastal Center and educate the next generation of leaders in this field,” Chip Kline, chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, said in a news release.
Announced in 2019 by Gov. John Bel Edwards, Nicholls expects to receive bids by year's end on groundwork for the 33,000-square-foot building, officials said. That work, financed by $2.5 million from the state coastal agency, is set to begin early next year.
Nicholls hopes the state Legislature will approve a proposed $12.5 million allocation in the state construction bill this year. If that happens -- which is not guaranteed -- construction of the building could be complete by early 2023.
Lafourche Parish government has also put $5,000 toward the project.
Thibodaux-based Duplantis Design Group has been hired to design the building, which will be built at Acadia and Ordoyne drives, across from Calecas Hall, on the university's campus.
"This joint venture between CPRA and Nicholls could not come at a better time as we are seeing record interest and investment in coastal projects across our state," Cline said. "We look forward to watching this concept become a reality in the very near future.”
The building will allow scientists, students and others from across the state to collaborate on research and projects, with a primary focus on the Atchafalaya River and the Terrebonne Basin. The state coastal agency, the Baton Rouge-based Water Institute of the Gulf and Nicholls' biological sciences and geomatics departments are among those already committed to the work. Read the full story here.