Regents approve $6.3M for Texas Tech Health El Paso clinical sciences building, cancer center design

by Daniel Perez, El Paso Matters
August 13, 2024

The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents voted 8-0 to approve spending $6.3 million for the design of the planned Clinical Sciences Building at the Texas Tech Health El Paso campus during its quarterly meeting Aug. 8-9 at the system’s Lubbock headquarters.

The proposed five-story, 352,000-square-foot structure will be built on the north end of campus near Interstate 10. Two thirds of the building will be for clinical sciences and cost an estimated $186 million. The rest will house the Steve and Nancy Fox Cancer Center. Its second-stage design process started in June 2023.

Billy Breedlove, vice chancellor for Facilities Planning and Construction, pointed out that the clinical services center and cancer center are being tracked as two separate projects with two separate funding streams. The regents’ recent decision only involved the clinical sciences side. Regent Cody Campbell was not present.

As presented, the clinical sciences services would be on the south end of the building. Each center would have its own entrance.

The expenditure will pay for services such as design development, construction documents and administration, and cost estimates, and will allow planning for the clinical sciences side to catch up with the cancer center. Both centers will be constructed simultaneously.

Richard Lange, TTHEP president, said that the regents' support is a significant step in the university’s mission to provide world-class cancer care to the Borderplex.

“This allows us to move forward with our plans to build a future where every patient receives the highest level of compassionate and comprehensive care close to home,” Lange said. “We look forward to breaking ground soon, here at Texas Tech Health El Paso.”

Breedlove, whose presentation included a conceptual site plan and a cutaway view of the building, said that the new building would do the job of three existing buildings and be more economical. He added that the existing TTHEP clinical sciences space, about 173,000 square feet, is on University Medical Center of El Paso property and has benefited the community for about 40 years. It serves about 1,200 patients daily and is at full capacity.

The new building will continue to offer the existing clinical options such as the Breast Care Center, surgery, neurology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedic surgery and rehabilitations, and several sub-specialties.

“We've had our meetings (and) have included all those clinicians in all of this, and so their input is very valued for our design team,” said Breedlove, who added that his people are working with HDR, one of the country’s largest medical design teams on this project.

The two centers will have exam and procedure rooms to support the clinical practices of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, such as nurses’ stations, lab support, medicine storage, clinical supply rooms and waiting areas.

The conceptual design included a parking lot with about 1,000 spaces, but Breedlove said designers may suggest the construction of the first level of a parking garage. He mentioned that his team wanted to project possible needs and offer the kinds of options for the next 20 years that may involve the need to purchase additional nearby properties.

The funds approved Aug. 8, as well as the previously approved $2.3 million, will come through the Revenue Finance System and be repaid with Capital Construction Assistance Projects Legislative appropriations, as well as gifts and institutional funds.

Breedlove said the multiple funding sources for separate projects that are part of the same building is among the project’s challenges.

Dustin R. Womble, chair of the facilities committee, asked how this kind of combined project could create future conflicts on how expenses get allocated. Breedlove said that the system will need to work hard to ensure that the costs are divided correctly.

Another challenge will be how to deal with the existing railroad operations on the tracks just south of the proposed building site. Breedlove said that Lange wants to create a “quiet zone” in that area where trains are known to blow their whistles long and hard on a daily basis.

A TTHEP spokesman said that Lange is involved in preliminary discussions with several transportation entities to consider options. Breedlove said an initial concept is a tunnel for vehicles and pedestrians to pass under the train track area, and hinted that it could mean buying additional property.

Board chair Mark Griffin, who earlier in the meeting  asked Lange if additional land was needed for this project.

“We’re in the final completion stage of that,” Lange said.

When Regents’ asked for a project timeline, Breedlove said he hoped to present design packages in November along with site and utility packages, some foundation packages in February, and a guaranteed maximum price by May. He said that all funds for the project must be allocated by June 2025. He said the site is basically clear and construction should take no more than three years.  

The Regents approved the initial concept of the Clinical Sciences Building in November 2023. It awarded a little more than $2 million for early design services to include cost estimates and a project schedule. In May, the Regents approved expenditures of $307,000 for the project’s pre-construction activities such as site analysis and a constructability review, and designs for the cancer clinic.

This article first appeared on El Paso Matters and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.