Construction officially began on the Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning in 小蝌蚪APP's Research Park.
Ratcliff Construction Company, of Alexandria, La., leads the construction effort on the 40,000-square-foot facility, winning the bid against seven companies at $5.6 million. Construction is anticipated to take 16 months, or 480 days, to complete.
小蝌蚪APP It feels like it小蝌蚪APP檚 been a long time coming, but in the grand scheme of construction projects, it has actually happened pretty quickly,小蝌蚪APP says Dr. Billy R. Stokes, Executive Director of the Picard Center. 小蝌蚪APP淲e are excited for the state and the university, as well as the Picard family and the Special Children小蝌蚪APP檚 Foundation, whose support and generous donations have allowed the Picard Center to develop and grow. We have all been waiting to see this day come to fruition.小蝌蚪APP
The new Picard Center building will be located beside the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) Center on East Devalcourt Street, as an integral part of the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Research Park.
When complete, the state-of-the-art complex will house the entire Picard Center operation, in addition to UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Educational Counseling unit, the Center for Innovative Learning and Assessment Technologies, the Educational Foundation and Leadership Department, the Center for Gifted Education, and the Department of Psychology.
The building will include a room of museum-quality memorabilia from Cecil J. Picard小蝌蚪APP檚 career, a data analysis room with state-of-the-art computer stations, and the Loyd Rockhold Distance Education and Conference Center, complete with distance learning opportunities and video conferencing capabilities.
UL Lafayette Provost Dr. Steve Landry notes, 小蝌蚪APP淭he 小蝌蚪APP is excited that the construction is beginning because we are very eager to bring this outstanding and diverse research and education team together in one state-of-the-art facility. The synergy is sure to foster impressive innovation.小蝌蚪APP
Since the Picard Center小蝌蚪APP檚 establishment at UL Lafayette in 2005, it has brought more than $34 million into the university, through contracts, state appropriations, capital construction dollars and foundation contributions.
小蝌蚪APP The entire Picard Family is both excited and humbled that my father小蝌蚪APP檚 dream of this educational research center of excellence having its own home will finally be a reality,小蝌蚪APP says Tyron Picard, son of the late Cecil J. Picard.
Sharon Holder, President of the Special Children小蝌蚪APP檚 Foundation and donor of the Picard Center, echoes Picard小蝌蚪APP檚 sentiments, stating, 小蝌蚪APP淢y father, Loyd Rockhold, and I are really excited to see our dream become a reality. We look forward to a terrific future for the Picard Center and for all the valuable work they do.小蝌蚪APP
The Picard Center, named in honor of former State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard, is dedicated to providing high-quality research and strategic evaluations of programs that address learning from birth through adulthood and investigates ways to bring scientifically-based research to bear on public policy in all areas of education, health, quality of life and workforce.