<p>[U</a>. of Ala. trustees approve NOAA water center | TuscaloosaNews.com](<a href=“http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110617/APN/1106170683&Title=U-of-Ala-trustees-approve-NOAA-water-center]U”>http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110617/APN/1106170683&Title=U-of-Ala-trustees-approve-NOAA-water-center)</p>
<p>anyone know where this will be built?</p>
<p>Hmmm…I wonder where it’s going to be?</p>
<p>*University of Alabama trustees have approved resolutions that will allow the school to become the home of a new national headquarters for water research.</p>
<p>During a meeting Thursday, university trustees approved resolutions allowing for the construction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center.</p>
<p>UA Vice President for Research Joe Benson says the center will be a central location for NOAA to coordinate the efforts of organizations doing water research and monitoring.</p>
<p>Benson said the 50,000-square-foot center is expected to be completed by early 2014 and will cost between $16 million and $18 million to construct.</p>
<p>The construction will be paid for by NOAA, which is leasing the property.*</p>
<p>Wow…the state of Alabama may have more exciting news…</p>
<p>Huntsville a perfect fit as National Solar observatory headquarters</p>
<p>HUNTSVILLE, Alabama _ The city that helped send man to the moon could soon train America’s sights on the sun.</p>
<p>What better place than Huntsville - the Rocket City - for the proposed National Solar Observatory?</p>
<p>Gov. Robert Bentley joined Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and an impressive team of business and academic leaders last week in a recruiting trip to Tucson.</p>
<p>Their mission was to pitch the University of Alabama in Huntsville over the other finalist, the University of Colorado in Boulder, as the best site to relocate NSO headquarters near Tucson.</p>
<p>A decision is expected before the end of the year.</p>
<p>If chosen, the laboratory would be located in a new building behind the National Space Science and Technology Center across from the UAH campus.</p>
<p>The project would bring 70 top scientists and engineers and an annual budget of $20 million to study findings from solar telescopes in Tucson, Sunspot, N.M., and Hawaii.</p>
<p>Locating the labs at a site removed from the solar telescope would allow the project’s scientists to be clustered with the best computing, engineering, scientific, communications and support expertise, project officials say.</p>
<p>Solicitations for the new solar observatory were pitched last year by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy under the direction of the National Science Foundation. The NSO wants to relocate its operational headquarters and be on a university campus by 2016.</p>
<p>Huntsville is the most logical choice. Space is our business. Our research know-how is world class and our quality of life is hard to beat. Consider all the accolades Huntsville, Madison and Madison County have amassed in measures of cost of living, favorable business climate, and best place to raise a family.</p>
<p>The area’s concentration of aerospace engineers, astronomers, physicists and climate experts make Huntsville a good fit because of the critical work already being done here in related disciplines.</p>
<p>The recruiting team included a list of heavy-hitters in business, science and academia: former NASA administrator and now UAH physics scholar Michael Griffin; Gov. Bentley; UA Chancellor Dr. Malcom Portera; Tennessee Valley Authority BRAC Committee Chair Joe Ritch; leaders of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center; Alabama A&M and Oakwood universities; and top UAH professors including Elizabeth Newton from the UAH Center for Systems studies and Gary Zank, director of the university’s Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research.</p>
<p>Zank made a compelling argument for Huntsville in his lead proposal. “Huntsville has long been one of the most notable research centers for solar and space weather physics,” Zank said.</p>
<p>“We believe our proposal offers a very convincing value proposition, integrating one of the world’s most compelling technological communities, NASA-Marshall world-class research expertise, an exceptional research university, a very low cost of living and doing business, and an exceptional high quality of life.”</p>
<p>Few, if any, places under the sun can match Huntsville’s credentials as a host site for NSO headquarters.</p>
<p>National NOAA Center (IWRSS) “will occupy a new building on the site of the current Environmental Health and Safety building that will eventually house ~ 150-200 NOAA personnel.”</p>
<p>The current Environmental Health and Safety building is a small non-nondescript single story on Hackberry Lane that backs up to Bryce Hospital </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.as.ua.edu/cfs/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Spring2011_red_photos.pdf[/url]”>http://www.as.ua.edu/cfs/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Spring2011_red_photos.pdf</a></p>
<p>Wow, this is awesome!</p>
<p>FYI:
50,000 sq ft is about twice the size of the McLure Education Library
<a href=“http://www.lib.ua.edu/bamabound/Mcluretour.htm[/url]”>http://www.lib.ua.edu/bamabound/Mcluretour.htm</a>
And a bit smaller than the UA Law Library
<a href=“http://www.lib.ua.edu/bamabound/boundstour.htm[/url]”>http://www.lib.ua.edu/bamabound/boundstour.htm</a></p>
<p>Construction Synopsis:
Added: May 13, 2011 9:25 am
Design/Build Project for NOAA Integrated Water Resources Science and Services (aka National Water Center) to be constructed on the campus of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, for the United States Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Acquisition Division, (EAD).</p>
<p>The North American Industry Classification (NAICS) Code for this project is 236220 with a size standard is $33.5M. This solicitation is a Small Business Set-Aside. The approximate issue date is May 27, 2011 and approximate closing date is July 6, 2011. The Construction Cost Limitation for this project is $18,000,000.00. Offerors are under no obligation to approach this ceiling. The contract duration is 548 calendar days.
The project is new construction of approximately 58,000 gross square feet building for a national hydrologic operations center, support services and administrative functions of NOAA’s National Weather Service. The project site, located on the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (UA) campus, is currently owned by UA and will be leased by NOAA . The building footprint limitations will require a two-story structure with a partial basement. There will be parking on site.</p>
<p>The purpose of the NOAA IWRSS facility is to provide the nation with a seamless suite of consistent water resources monitoring and forecast information from summit to sea. NOAA IWRSS National Water Center intends to create a reciprocal relationship with UA and plans for the new facility to provide avenues of hydrological research to UA students and staff. The building will be used for a consortium of cutting edge water resource integrated services with complementary operational missions in water science, observation, prediction and management; and the design should facilitate and reflect those activities. Portions of the structure shall be hardened to maintain operations during local weather events. Additionally, it must meet a minimum sustainability requirement of Silver on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification scale of the U.S. Green Building Council. This work will consist of design and construction of the new facility based on a design development level description of performance requirements. The estimated magnitude of the project is more than $10,000,000.00.</p>
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<p>Well, it makes sense that it would be located close to the Black Warrior River.</p>
<p>Wow, a national research center! This is a testament to increased prestige of the UA brand.</p>
<p>Very Cool, I would think this would also lend itself to intern possibilities for the students and research opportunities. Too bad it won’t be built sooner…</p>
<p>Roll Tide!
UA just keeps getting better and better.</p>
<p>Hahaha ooooohhhh NOAA… Too bad it wont be done next summer, I could do my internship there. But i guess this bodes well for Bama continuing its streak of Hollings Scholars. Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Mesquite_girl24, By the way Congratulations and good luck next summer with that internship!! Well Done!!</p>
<p>Mesquite_girl24: While T-Town would be nice for a NOAA internship, the thought of Hawaii or California is also nice. Think about that!</p>
<p>Oh trust me, I intend to try for Cali, Hawaii or Boulder. I need to be able to hike or go to the beach 
And thanks robotbldmom :D</p>