Construction on the new parking garage and bookstore stretching from Highland Road to East Campus Drive could begin as early as November, according to Facility Services.Emmett David, director of Facility Development, said construction documents are currently under plan review. Once the project is approved, Facility Services will put it on the bidding market. David said he hopes the project will be put on the market sometime in the next 60 days. Once construction begins, it is expected to take about 18 months to complete.The new structure will require the Highland Cafeteria, the Women’s Center, the African American Cultural Center, the Morris House Civil War Center and part of the Old President’s House to be demolished. The Women’s Center and the African American Cultural Center will receive new buildings near the same area as the parking garage.David said the new buildings will contain larger offices, conference rooms and courtyards and will comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.He said the Women’s Center and the African American Cultural Center will temporarily move to Hatcher Hall until construction is completed.Catherine Hopkins, director of the Women’s Center, said she is excited about the new spaces.”I understand the historical significance [of the Carter House], but this will give us more space and so many more resources,” she said.Hopkins said the newly-constructed buildings will be more than double the size of the current ones.David said construction costs for the project are estimated to be about $25 million. He said it’s impossible to determine what each building costs because it is bid as one complete project.David said the project has not been affected by budget cuts because it’s being funded by revenue bonds the University sold in May.Some students worry the benefits of the garage won’t outweigh the problems it may cause.”The bad thing about parking garages is that they get crowded really easily,” said Chad Hoffman, psychology sophomore. “It could be a good idea, but it could be a bad idea.”Hoffman also said he is looking forward to having a larger bookstore on campus.”That sounds like a good idea because [the current bookstore] gets pretty crowded,” he said.Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said part of the parking garage will be designated for on-campus residents and part will be assigned to faculty.Graham said the rest of the garage will be used as paid parking for bookstore visitors.”It will basically be the same as the metered parking we have in front of the bookstore now,” Graham said.Graham said there are no definite plans for what will be done with other staff parking on campus once the garage is built, but some of those spots could become commuter spots.”If there’s a demand, we’ll certainly look into it,” he said.—-Contact Rachel Warren at [email protected]