FAMU deed-signing Saturday (road closures)

Saturday will mark the ceremonial culmination of a three-year effort to bring a pharmacy school to downtown Crestview.

City officials will sign a deed at the ceremony, turning the historic Alatex Building over to representatives of Florida A&M University.

City and state officials are expected to attend a 10 a.m. signing event that will take place in front of the Alatex Building, located on Woodruff Avenue between Main and Wilson streets.

FAMU plans to bring some members of the university’s famed 100 Marching Band.

Last month, the Florida Legislature approved $8.5 million for the project, which survived a line-item veto by Crist during budget cuts.

Of that amount, $1.5 million is allocated to recurring funds for faculty at the school. The remaining $7 million, plus an earlier $2.5 million state appropriation, will be used to renovate the 1930s era Alatex Building that once served as a sewing factory.

Now that funding has been nailed down, there is a push to get work on the building underway and Saturday's event was quickly planned.

“We are being pushed at the state level to have this event,” Cadle said. “We are being pushed by FAMU also. It is my understanding they would like to get started by August 1 on renovation and construction.”

FAMU plans to offer a PharmD degree at the school that leads to pharmacy license. Plans also call for additional courses later that lead to masters and doctorate degrees in public health and health care management, and will offer courses in health administration, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

Former employees at the sewing factory have been invited to attend the Saturday event.

“We want them to be our special guests to see that building that provided an income for their families many years ago during very hard times,” Cadle said.  “We want them to see it come alive once again.”

The fate of the project had been uncertain since the city agreed to give the Alatex Building to FAMU.

For starters, asbestos and lead-based paint were found in the building. Per state law, FAMU could not accept title to the building unless the toxins were removed.

Last December, the city awarded Tallahassee-based Cason Environmental & Demolition Services a $98,450 contract to remove the contaminants. That work was recently completed.

Some criticized the city for giving away the historical building for free and questioned the city paying the cost to remove the toxins.

Proponents of a downtown pharmacy school, however, pointed to a study that estimates the school will pump between $3 million and $6 million annually into the economy.

The school hopes to enroll 40 students by the fall of 2011, FAMU President Dr. James Ammons said in an earlier interview.

“When you look at the impact this kind of education facility and the presence of the faculty and health care professionals will have on that community, it is going to be an important era of development for Crestview,” Ammons said.

The following roads will be closed from 8 a.m. to noon for the ceremony:

• Woodruff Avenue between Main Street and Wilson Street.

• Wilson Street between Woodruff Avenue and Railroad Avenue.

• Industrial Drive Alley between Main Street and Wilson Street adjacent to the railroad.

Citizens are encouraged to find alternative routes if they are anticipating having to drive through these areas. Persons interested in attending the ceremony are welcome to attend, and are asked to park in designated parking areas located behind City Hall in the Southern Parking Areas, and in designated parking areas along Wilson Street, and Main Street.