By Scott Wright

CENTRE — Hopefully, the next phase of the construction of a $22 million satellite campus of Gadsden State Community College in Centre will go more smoothly than last week's unveiling of a pair of renderings of the 85,000-square-foot facility.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DETAILED DRAWING

An invitation-only gathering of around 100 crowded into the conference room at the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce last Monday evening to view drawings presented by the architectural firm of Jenkins, Munroe and Jenkins of Anniston. Eventually, everyone got to see the impressive artwork.

As they entered the meeting room, local elected officials, dignitaries, political hopefuls and a smattering of reporters were greeted by a bowl of green St. Patrick's Day punch and sugar cookies, rows and rows of chairs, and an empty easel standing at the front of the room.

Turned out the architects were running a little late, so the meeting that was supposed to begin at 5 p.m. didn't actually start until nearly 6 o'clock. Architect Calvin Munroe apologized profusely for the delay as he walked into the room at 5:50 p.m., with two large, veiled drawings in his hands.

After Gadsden State President Renee Culverhouse and Rep. Richard Lindsey yanked the cover off the renderings a few seconds later, no one was complaining about the wait.

"If the final product looks like these drawings, your apology is accepted," Lindsey joked as the crowd applauded.

Centre Mayor Phil Powell had provided another light moment a few minutes earlier when he noticed crews working to extract soil samples behind the Chamber offices and exclaimed, "Richard, if they strike oil back there, the whole deal's off."

Before the unveiling, Gadsden State Vice President John Blue told the crowd the $22 million facility will be the largest construction project in the history of Cherokee County, and the drawings served to convince any doubters that Blue's declaration was grandiose.

A massive concrete and tile courtyard will serve as the centerpiece of the facility's hemispherical main facade. Arched entryways spaced around the area will provide access to three main attractions: a 2,000-seat sports arena, the relocated Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce and the academic wing of Gadsden State Community College. An additional $8 million will have to be raised before construction can begin on a 500-seat theater that was included in the drawings.

Rep. Lindsey said he hopes to be able to secure those additional funds before construction begins.

"I hope that by the end of May, if we can find adequate funding, we can include the theater and move construction with it along with the construction of the rest of the complex," he told The Post.

Otherwise, the site will be prepared to add the theater in second phase of construction.

The Gadsden State portion of the facility is designed as a two-story structure which includes a third floor shell for future expansion. The building will hold eight classrooms, nursing classrooms, two computer labs, a library, testing areas, office space, meeting rooms, etc., according to Blue.

The sports arena will be available to all area high schools for athletic events and graduation ceremonies. Blue said the basketball goals and floor of the arena will be removable; large doors will allow vehicles such as RVs and water craft to be brought into the facility for trade shows and other events.

Lindsey said he was extremely pleased with the overall design of the complex and looks forward to seeing construction begin soon.

"The entire facility is going to be very-user friendly, and it's going to be a very attractive addition to Cherokee County," he said.

The Chamber offices will be located in an area between the Gadsden State building and the arena, and will include a large conference room for local civic organizations to use as a meeting place.

Munroe said when the theater is constructed, it will include state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment in order to provide a quality, professional entertainment experience to the people of Cherokee County.

Lindsey said he hopes an official groundbreaking ceremony can be held in the next few months.

"It is my understanding that the architectural firm will need another 60 days or so before it will be ready to begin the bid process," Lindsey said. "Four weeks after that the bids should be in and then, hopefully, we can have a groundbreaking."

Mike Lanier, vice president of Birmingham-based Hoar Construction, said there will be an opportunity for local construction firms to get involved in the bid process.

"We're already taking calls from construction firms," Lanier said. "We don't have any concrete plans right now, but we want to break the bid into sections instead of asking for one huge bid. That way, smaller businesses that don't conduct a lot of $22 million projects can still get involved in the construction of this facility."

Lindsey, who has been very instrumental in the lobbying effort to build the facility in Cherokee County, said there are a lot of people to thank for the fruition of this endeavor.

"First of all, Gov. Riley got behind this project," he said. "And then you have to thank the people at Gadsden State, who have been tremendous. And of course, all the local municipalities and communities here in Cherokee County have been very supportive of this project. It's going to change our county forever."

On Tuesday, the City of Centre officially turned over 46 acres alongside Highway 9 near the Cherokee County Nursing Home for the project. The County Commission has committed $250,000 to site preparation, as well as $100,000 annually for 20 years for debt service.

Every other organized municipality in the county has also pledged long-term funds to help pay down the $12.2 million in state bonds it will take to build the facility, which should be completed in 18-24 months.