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El Paso clinical sciences building and comprehensive cancer center approved to proceed with site work
Summary
The Board of Regents authorized site and utilities work to begin for a combined Clinical Sciences building and Comprehensive Cancer Center at TTUHSC El Paso, accepting GMPs for initial bid package 1 and approving additional project funding that raises the clinical budget to $58 million and the cancer budget to $36.7 million.
The board approved construction authorization and guaranteed maximum price (GMP) acceptance for initial bid package 1 — site clearing and utilities — for the joint Clinical Sciences building and Comprehensive Cancer Center on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso campus.
For the Clinical Sciences building the board approved an additional $48,000,000, for a revised project total of $58,000,000, and accepted the GMP for bid package 1 to begin the extensive site work required by the site’s constraints. For the Comprehensive Cancer Center the board approved an additional $28,300,000, for a revised project total of $36,700,000, and likewise accepted the GMP for bid package 1. Both motions passed by voice vote.
Billy Breedlove, presenting for the system facilities office, told regents the single combined building will total roughly 225,000 gross square feet for the clinical portion and about 131,000 gross square feet for the oncology portion; the two were consolidated into a single structure to gain construction efficiencies, shared imaging assets and clinical adjacency for patient care. He said project site conditions are complicated by a 19‑foot grade change across the site, limited property access, a nearby Union Pacific railroad and substantial sandy soils that require soldier‑pile/shoring and other deep excavation measures before foundations can be set.
Breedlove said bid package 1 covers site clearing, subsurface demolition, soldier piles and retaining walls, utility extensions (water, sewer, storm, gas, telecom), stormwater retention/mitigation and erosion controls. He explained much of the stormwater storage will likely be underground because surface retention capacity is limited at the site.
Dr. Lang, who oversees the El Paso campus, told regents the site also faces an operational hazard from a frequently present train on the adjacent track that can block pedestrian movement; the campus plans to work with TxDOT on a pedestrian underpass to improve campus access. Breedlove and Dr. Lang also noted that seismic considerations influence foundation design because El Paso is in an area with recent seismic events.
On patient volumes and clinic scale, Dr. Lang said the existing clinical operations see some 120,000 unique patients annually and about three‑quarters of a million patient encounters; the new clinical building is being sized to accommodate projected long‑term demand and to support oncology services that will further increase patient volumes.
Funding for the projects will come from the revenue financing system, capital construction assistance appropriations, state appropriations and gifts; Breedlove said prior approvals totaling $10,000,000 (clinical) and $8,300,000 (cancer) are included in the revised totals. The board directed staff to execute construction manager at risk contract amendments for bid pack 1 and to return with further approvals as work progresses.
Regents commended the El Paso leadership for planning a single, integrated facility; they also asked staff to ensure tight coordination between the two project funding streams and to keep the board apprised of schedule and contingency plans as site work proceeds.
