VGCC Trustees Hear Preliminary Plans For Area Public Safety Training Complex
The need for a facility to train area firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement personnel was discussed by the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees at their bi-monthly meeting July 18.
College staff members told the trustees that Vance-Granville trains about 3,100 municipal and volunteer firefighters, emergency medical and rescue personnel, and law enforcement officers each year. President Randy Parker said he has talked to departments throughout the four-county area that VGCC serves, and they all say a public safety training complex is badly needed.
“In addition to public safety personnel in our area, a modern complex would also bring in personnel from outside our area for training,” Parker said. “They would stay in area motels, eat and shop here, and this would be a boost to the local economy.”
John Farkas of JKF Architecture of Greenville, which has considerable experience in designing public safety training facilities, presented a four-stage plan for an area complex that would serve all the training needs identified.
Parker said the staff is looking at a public safety training complex as part of the college’s long-range master plan, and the presentation to the board was to inform them of the need and a possible future solution.
Election of Officers
The trustees re-elected Donald C. Seifert Sr. of Henderson to serve as chair of the board for another year and Henrietta H. Clark, also of Henderson, to serve as secretary.
J. David Brooks of Oxford was elected to serve as the board’s vice chair. He fills the spot left by John K. Nelms who resigned from the board earlier this year. Brooks, who owns a realty appraisal business, has served on the VGCC Board of Trustees since July 1, 1995, after being named by the Granville County Board of Commissioners.
Construction Update
Brooks, who chairs the board’s Building Committee, presented a report on construction projects under way or recently completed at the school.
The 10,000 square-foot expansion to the Student Services Building on the main campus is complete and was finished ahead of schedule, Brooks said. Drawings for construction of a Bioprocess Technology lab on the lower level of the building are being reviewed, and this project is expected to be ready for bidding in 30-60 days.
Exterior work on the two-story, 17,000 square-foot classroom building at the Franklin County Campus almost 100 percent complete, Brooks reported. Interior walls are almost complete and painting is under way. This project, scheduled for completion by the end of this year, is well ahead of schedule, Brooks said.
Bid documents are complete for the 20,000 square-foot, two-story addition to the South Campus between Butner and Creedmoor, Brooks said. A pre-bid conference was scheduled for July 19, and bidding is expected to be complete by early August, with construction to begin soon thereafter.
New Culinary Program
The trustees authorized the college to begin offering a Culinary Technology curriculum program in Fall Semester 2006.
Culinary Arts is a two-year associate-degree program to train students to work in food service positions in restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs, catering operations, contract food services and health facilities. Upon completion of their studies, graduates should qualify for positions as line cook, station chef and assistant pastry chef. After gaining experience, they may advance to sous-chef, executive chef or food service manager.
County Budgets
The trustees approved county current expense and capital outlay budgets totaling $2,065,537 for fiscal year 2005-2006.
The current expense budget is $1,362,449 for the main campus, $158,641 for South Campus, $234,740 for the Franklin County Campus, and $130,331 for the Warren County Campus.
Capital outlay budgets approved are $149,376 for the main campus, $10,000 for South Campus, $15,000 for Franklin County Campus, and $5,000 for the Warren County Campus.
WIA Grants
President Parker reported to the trustees that Vance-Granville has received more than $721,000 in grants to train displaced area workers.
The grants include three Workforce Investment Act grants administered by the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments totaling $715,000 and a $6,350 New Opportunities for Workers grant for the college’s Small Business Center.
