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The City of Demopolis has officially transferred ownership of the former New Era plant property to the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation.

This  milestone, in a unanimous vote from the Demopolis City Council, marks a significant step in establishing the new Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences campus in Demopolis. In tandem with this important development, the ASHS Foundation has selected Caldwell Architects, a firm with local roots, to design the state-of-the-art facility.

“For our city, there is absolutely no greater value of this land than the value created by the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences,” said Demopolis Mayor Woody Collins. “From the new students, to faculty, staff and administrators, the City Council and I know this school has the potential to transform Demopolis. It is a good investment for the city, and it’s a great investment for the future of our citizens.”

The New Era facility, which closed its doors in 2010, has been underutilized in recent years. Despite exploring various options for the property, none seemed to align perfectly with the space or location until the emergence of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, according to Collins. Recognizing the potential of this partnership, the Demopolis City Council approved the land transfer at a special meeting last week.

Rob Pearson, chairman of the ASHS Foundation, said these early steps of the project are critical to the larger purpose of the school.

“One of the reasons Demopolis was chosen as the right city for this school was because of the support from Mayor Collins and members of our local government,” Pearson said. “We are so grateful for the encouragement we’ve received from this community, and we are committed to building a school that will serve our city, as well as the entire state.”

Caldwell Architects, chosen to design the first-of-its-kind school, has more than 30 years of experience in designing Educational and Healthcare facilities across the State of Alabama and the Gulf Coast of Florida. With offices in Pensacola, Tuscaloosa, Demopolis, and Birmingham, the company said it was excited to have been selected to assist the State of Alabama and the ASHS Foundation with the design and construction of the new Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences in Demopolis.

“I am personally enthused about this opportunity as the site for this new residential high school is located directly adjacent to both Whitfield Regional Hospital, where I was born, and the original Demopolis High School, where I received my first diploma,” said Brian E. Brooker AIA, LEED AP, Associate Principal and Senior Project Architect with Caldwell Architects. “Being part of developing this learning environment focused on the much-needed healthcare services in the Black Belt, as well as creating the daily learning and living environment for its students and faculty, brings me full circle. Our team looks forward to collaborating with the many supporters, colleagues, and disciplines required to bring this project to successful fruition which we see as generations of medical professionals emerging from this school, ready to serve the people and needs of their communities for many years to come.”

Pearson said Caldwell Architects is a natural fit for this project based on their understanding of the region.

“Having people who are invested in our community involved in the design of the school makes sense on a number of levels,” Pearson said. “As a foundation, we know the quality of their work, and we have full trust that Caldwell Architects will be valued partner, long after there are students walking the halls of this school.”

Eric Requist AIA, LEED AP, Associate Principal and Senior Project Architect at Caldwell Architects, added, “The new Alabama School of Health Care Sciences will be a tremendous asset to both the State of Alabama and the West Alabama region. The potential for enhancing community services to better serve us all is truly exciting. As a West Alabama-based architect, I am honored to be part of the project team developing the vision for this important initiative.”

ASHS will offer a STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) based curriculum focused on healthcare. Through partnerships with regional and statewide health systems, educational institutions and communities, it will serve to alleviate the critical rural healthcare workforce shortage in Alabama while providing skilled professional training for in-demand jobs to low-income youth.