Teaching gym's construction timetable still a mystery

Fifteen months after FAMU held a glorious ground breaking ceremony touting the construction of two "significant" facilities --- the new Developmental Research School and the new Teaching Gymnasium and Multi-Purpose Center--- little work has been done on either facility. Rattler Nation rode by the purposed site of the new multi-purpose gym, which is to be built on the site of the intramural field next to Howard Hall, on Sunday and discovered a fenced in barren lot with no signs of visable construction activity.

At the October 5, 2005 ground breaking, FAMU officials hailed the new teaching gym as a "state-of-the-art" $31 million, 10,000-seat arena that will include athletic offices, an indoor track, and a new home for Rattler basketball.

The new, $20 million, FAMU High was described as a facility to replace the current outdated high school campus. Terry Watson, president of the school's parent advisory committee said at the ground breaking, "we're excited about the new facility because it should have state-of-the art equipment, computer connections and the infrastructure itself." He's also said, the new school also will feature its own athletic fields. The athletic fields have since been cut from the school's plans.

According to a TDO article, the new school will include three separate buildings for elementary, middle and high-school students with a courtyard. It also will have space for public meetings and adult-education classes.

Design and construction contracts for both projects were awarded in early 2005. To date, however, no construction has been done on either facility.