In a unanimous vote, the Amarillo City Council has now approved plans for a proposed Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo.
As the Amarillo Globe-News reports,the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation has pledged to give almost $70 million toward the completion of the $90 million project.
The next step in the process will be to approach the state legislature and demonstrate that Amarillo and Texas Tech have the resources to make the project happen, while also proving that there is a need for a vet school in the panhandle. The latter part shouldn’t be difficult, as the High Plains has been suffering from a shortage of veterinarians—and especially large animal vets—for years now, with rural areas most feeling the lack of veterinary specialists.
The legislature has already granted funding for a $4 million feasibility study of the veterinary school concept.
A previous timeline estimated that construction on the facility would begin by October of next year.
