A drive by the new Piedmont Technical College site shows that work is well underway on the new campus and the construction is nearing completion.
“We are excited about the new campus in Newberry,” said Jennifer Wilbanks, dean of county campuses. “The construction is coming along beautifully and we are still on target to open the new campus in January of 2013 for the spring semester.”
Most of the facility is 80 to 90 percent complete including HVAC, electrical, plumbing and roofing.
Work continues on painting, landscaping and windows.
The project is on track to be completed by the first part of October. Once it is completed it will be furnished and the move will follow.
But Eric Koulpasis with Southside says once the delays with permits from the state were done the project was bid and the work has been ahead of schedule.
The demolition on the project began the first of March and since then the work has been full steam ahead.
Koulpasis set up his project teams early in the process and did a time line for the construction.
He says there are several things happening at once with the construction.
Workers start on the south side, or right, of the building and work towards the north. As the workers finish one type of work in an area, they are followed behind by others. So, wiring, duct work and drywall work could be all going on at the same time.
The construction company also has a plan where work goes on even if it is raining.
“Out motto is ‘there are no problems only opportunities,’” said Koulpasis. “We hit it head on and get it done.”
And with that kind of attitude the state of the facility will soon be “occupied.”
The staff at PTC says the move is very much needed.
“The Newberry County Campus is bursting at the seams with continued enrollment growth,” said Marilyn Sease, director of the campus. “The new facility will provide much needed classroom and lab space.”
PTC’s campus in Newberry is currently housed in the old National Guard Armory and encompasses 30,340 square feet, consisting of classrooms, computer and biology labs, as well as office space.
Once the former school and armory is empty, the building will be transformed into a new sheriff’s office.
The Newberry County Campus is second only to the Greenwood campus for enrollment, and since the distance involved in commuting to the original campus in Greenwood can be prohibitive for some students, the college opened the current Newberry County campus in order to bring the college’s offerings closer to Newberry residents.
Offerings in Newberry currently include associate degrees in business, early care and education, administrative office technology, criminal justice, human services, and veterinary technology, along with a range of certificate offerings for quick training.
The veterinary technology program is the only one of its kind in the midlands region of South Carolina.
In an effort to continue to improve the services at the Newberry campus and serve the local community, Piedmont Tech is conducting a needs assessment with local businesses and organizations in Newberry.
The needs assessment survey can be found at http://www.ptc.edu/about/locations/newberry.
“We encourage everyone with an interest in the new campus to complete the survey,” said Wilbanks. “This will help ensure we are meeting the needs of the community we serve.”
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