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NCI to break ground on new building today
Thursday, November 1, 2012
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at noon today for the New College Institute’s new building planned in uptown Martinsville.
The three-story, 50,000-square-foot building is to be built on the Dana O. Baldwin Block along West Church, Fayette, Market and Moss streets. It is to be NCI’s first entirely new structure.
The building, estimated to cost $15 million, is to house academic programs NCI is creating in advanced manuacturing, entrepreneurism and health care.
NCI Executive Director William Wampler said Wednesday that during today’s ceremony, the city will convey to the institute the deed to the block before the first shovels of dirt are turned. City and NCI officials will speak, and the Martinsville High School Jazz Band will perform, he said.
The first phase of construction — site preparation work — tentatively is to begin next week, Wampler said. That will involve removing concrete from an unused portion of Barton Street running through the property where part of the building is to be erected, as well as relocating water and sewer lines and grading the block to make it more level, although it still will have a slope, he said.
NCI is in negotiation with contractors to do the site preparation work. Wampler said he expects to announce early next week that a contractor has been chosen.
Site preparation is “a very small part of the project, but it is labor intensive and takes time” to complete, he said. “More importantly, it gets us started” on the project.
Wampler said he hopes final design plans for the building are completed by January. If that happens, he expects the building can start being erected in March if winter weather does not hinder the site preparation, he said.
