University of Colorado president Hank Brown, flanked by Gov. Bill Owens and other Colorado dignitaries, Monday ceremonially turned over the first shovel full of dirt to begin the final phase of construction on the school’s $2 billion Fitzsimons medical campus.
The event comes nearly two years after university officials had intended to break ground on the Health Sciences Center’s seven education buildings.
A two-year court battle over the legality of $202 million in state-backed financing delayed the project.
Brown hailed the moment as a victory for medical science and economic growth in Colorado.
“This project will be the leading jobs project … in Colorado for decades to come,” he said.
The university’s redevelopment of the former Fitzsimons Army base includes an already completed hospital and medical research facilities. Denver’s Children’s Hospital also is nearing completion of a new hospital on the site, and the U.S. Veterans Administration plans to relocate to the campus.
The project is the largest medical development project in the country.
Staff writer Marsha Austin can be reached at 303-820-1242 or maustin@denverpost.com
