By Shamona McClary

Kannapolis Citizen

Turner Construction Co. has signed on for double duty in Cabarrus County.

Billionaire David Murdock's Castle & Cooke Inc. announced last Thursday that Turner will construct the Core Laboratory building here on the former Pillowtex Plant 1 site, which will eventually become the North Carolina Research Campus.

The company is already contracted by the county to be the construction manager of the proposed new county jail.

Construction of the Core Laboratory is expected to begin immediately. Groundbreaking is scheduled for Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m. Castle & Cooke anticipates completion of the building in late 2007.

When completed, the 311,000-square-foot facility will house multiple labs for private businesses as well as a facility to support facilities operated by University of North Carolina System schools and other state universities. The facility will provide more than 75,000 square feet of tenant space.

Designed by a Charlotte company, the four-story brick building will reflect a Regency style with a standing seam copper roof and a cupola to top it off.

Bill Caldwell, Turner's corporation vice president and general manager for the Carolinas, said his team found out the good news about two weeks ago. He said they are excited and "ready to go to work."

Caldwell works from the Charlotte office. Turner, based in New York, has several offices around the country.

Caldwell said the company has several local projects under its belt, such as the Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte-Douglas Airport and Mecklenburg County Courthouse — each with a unique use and design. But he said the Core Laboratory was much more than a building.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to build something of this type. This will be a catalyst for a change in the community," he said.

Murdock has promised to invest millions of his own money in the campus and plans to recruit businesses and top scientists to the area and create a healthy living environment. With an infusion of education, research, technology and nutrition, Murdock has said the campus could benefit Kannapolis, the state and possibly the world.

Along with Murdock's money, the UNC system is looking for state aid to help fund the campus. According to a tentative UNC budget, the school system is seeking about $82 million over five years as recurring funds for four institutions: UNC Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, UNC Charlotte and North Carolina A&T. A non-recurring amount of $17 million over five years would also fund the schools. All funding would go toward salaries and benefits, operation and program expenses and research on the campus. The 2006-07 fiscal year calls for about $5 million. That number substantially increases over time.

The tentative budget has not been approved by the UNC Board of Governors or adopted as part of a legislative budget request. The Board of Governors will not take action on an amended budget request for the 2006 short session until April.

Ultimately, the campus will be an investment of $1 billion. It is expected to be completed in five to seven years.

"We hope to be there for a long time— from the first brick laid to the last," Caldwell said.

Contact Shamona McClary at 704-933-3450 or smcclary@salisburypost.com.