Published: June 14, 2008 12:28 am         

SCC breaks ground for $14M building

Somerset Community College conducted a groundbreaking Monday afternoon for the Laurel Campus Allied Health and Technical Education Building.

“This is a dream come true as we expand our beautiful campus here,” SCC President and CEO Dr. Jo Marshall said. “It’s one of the prettiest campuses in KCTCS. It has so much possibility and we look forward to fulfilling some of those possibilities. We believe this will be the first of a number of facilities on this campus. A song that expresses this beautifully, what we’re saying is, ‘We’ve Only Just Begun.’”

Student Mira Spangler-Baker sang the song to an audience of officials, the SCC leadership team and members of the SCC board of directors.

The building will be constructed fronting KY 192, adjacent to the Laurel County Public Library. Property for the building valued at $110,000 was donated by Rick and Kimberly Brown.

“The acquisition of this property allows the new Allied Health Building to have a road frontage and a visibility that otherwise it would not have,” Marshall explained. “They also have provided a scholarship for a non-traditional nursing student.”

The City-County Industrial Authority also donated property valued at $280,000 for the new building.

“This $280,000 completed the footprint needed for this new facility,” Marshall said. “Their continued support has been vital to the educational opportunities for all of our students. We’re grateful to Judge Lawrence Kuhl and to all of those who serve on this board.”

Dr. Michael B. McCall, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System also spoke highly of Kuhl.

“Shortly after I arrived here 10 years ago, he was one of the very first persons to come to me and talk about this community college in the London area. He said the Industrial Authority has this great piece of land and they were going to give it to us. He has a way of bringing people together to make things happen. I want to thank Lawrence for his vision, his dream and to have his dream come to fruition.”

The new Laurel Campus Allied Health and Technical Education Building is expected to open in the Spring Semester of 2010.

It is a two story structure containing 53,756 square feet with a total project budget of more than $14 million.

 This new facility will allow SCC to relocate and expand existing programs in practical nursing, respiratory therapy and medical assisting, as well as provide the opportunity for new health programs in registered nursing and pharmacy technology.

“This building is going to be very important to us,” Director of Respiratory Therapy Jess Hoskins said. “It is widely documented that by 2010 our country will face a critical shortage of nurses by nearly a half million.

“With an aging population of our country, it is imperative that our health care educators are able to attract students to our programs.”