By Gary D. Meyers, NOBTS Public Relations
NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Sixteen two-bedroom apartments at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary will be ready for student families early this summer – just in time for the 2010-11 school year.
Seminary trustees approved the new apartments during their fall meeting in October 2009 and construction began on the $2.7 million project in November. Thanks to good weather and a dedicated construction crew, the project remains on schedule for a June completion. During their spring meeting April 14, seminary trustees toured the construction site to see the progress firsthand.
[img_assist|nid=6307|title=Construction on 16 new two-bedroom apartments is nearing completion on the campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=64]“To see these two-bedroom apartments going up is a big relief,” Trustee Chairman Craig Campbell said. “This is the number one need – the kind of housing that is needed to replace the States Apartments. We just say ‘Thanks’ to all the donors, and to the students, we say ‘Come.’”
Replacing student housing units has been a top priority for trustees since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when the States Apartments were destroyed. The seminary lost a total of 92 two-bedroom apartments due to the storm and its flooding of the city.
“We are about to add 16 apartments, but this still leaves a big gap,” NOBTS President
Chuck Kelley told trustees after the tour. “More student housing remains one of our
greatest needs.”
During the past three years, a number of students have started each semester in temporary housing waiting for campus housing to become available. The 16 units will ease some of the strain, but the fix will be temporary.
“All of this doesn’t come close to replacing the States Apartments, but it does help us with an immediate need,” Campbell said. Replacing the other lost apartments remains on the top of his priority list. Campbell said he believes adding the additional apartments will poise the seminary for significant enrollment growth over the coming years.