Groundbreaking set for Tuesday on ECTC building

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Staff Report ELIZABETHTOWN — Groundbreaking ceremonies will be held Tuesday for the new Regional Postsecondary Education Center Phase II Building at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. ECTC President Dr. Thelma J. White, Kentucky Community and Technical College System President Dr. Michael B. McCall, state Rep. Jimmie Lee of Elizabethtown, state Sen. Elizabeth Tori of Radcliff and Hardin County Judge-Executive Harry L. Berry will lead a delegation of state, local and college officials who are expected to participate in the 3 p.m. ceremony on ECTC’s main campus in Elizabethtown. The event is open to the public. “We are pleased and excited to be moving into the construction phase of the Phase II Building, which will provide critical classroom, laboratory and other spaces to accommodate the college’s continuing growth,” Dr. White said. College officials expect another record number of students to enroll for classes when the 2008-2009 academic year begins in August. Last fall, more than 5,500 students enrolled at ECTC. Funding for the $20 million, 80,000-square-foot building was approved by the 2006 Kentucky General Assembly. When completed in late 2009, the new facility will provide space for expansion of ECTC’s educational and training programs and centralization of college services for students. “The new allied health education pavilion will be a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance our students’ educational experiences and to help ensure that they are well-prepared to enter the health-care work force upon graduation,” she said. “The additional classrooms and computer laboratories will allow us to expand existing programs and develop new ones, and the 300-seat, multi-purpose auditorium/lecture hall will give us a new, expanded venue for large gatherings and provide space for selected public events,” Dr. White continued. “Admissions, assessment, financial assistance, counseling and other college programs that help students succeed also will be housed in the new facility to improve student access to these important services.” The Regional Postsecondary Education Center was designed in 1998 as a two-phase project to enhance ECTC’s expanding role in the economic development of the college’s 12-county service region, accommodate growth in academic programs and help increase the number of baccalaureate degree programs through partnerships with other postsecondary institutions. The first phase – a 72,000-square-foot building – was completed in 2003. Clotfelter Samokar PSC Architects of Lexington is the Phase II Building project architect. Morel Construction Co. of Louisville is the general contractor.