Although delayed by wet weather in the early stages of construction, Montgomery Community College’s new forestry building is now nearly 60 percent complete and expected to be finished on schedule, according to a report by Building and Grounds Committee Chairman Lowell Russell at the Board of Trustees' April 8 meeting.
Following a recommendation from the committee, trustees approved the building’s interior color scheme and materials list and then moved on to advance planning for a proposed 30,000 square foot Health Sciences Building that has been under discussion for several months.
Trustees approved a $53,000 fee proposal from LS3P Associates, the previously approved architectural planning firm. The funds, from a $90,000 state allowance for advance planning, will provide MCC officials with a general building and site plan and cost estimates.
The proposal must be submitted to the State Construction Office for their approval, and in addition to work by LS3P the college must also have soil studies, surveys and environmental assessment done separately. The current timeline calls for all work to be completed and ready for final review at the trustees’ June 10 meeting.
Further action on the estimated $11 million-plus project is dependent on future state funding through a bond issue or other funding source.
Vice President of Student Services Kathy Harris provided curriculum enrollment statistics taken at the 10 percent point of the current semester. The breakdown shows many more part-time than full-time students, 64 percent part time and 36 percent full time; by gender the enrollment is 32 percent male and 68 percent female.
Seventy percent of the students are Montgomery County residents, with another 25 percent from the seven adjoining counties, 4 percent from other N.C. counties and 1 percent from out of state. Harris said these figures are all about the same as last spring.
Another break down shows 75 percent of the students taking college classes on campus or online, 13 percent are high school students and 12 percent incarcerated students from the prison. The college has distributed approximately $1.7 million in financial aid from all programs so far this year.
MCC enrollment has continued to grow significantly in recent years and Harris said her office has seen a 23-percent increase in inquiries about college programs over this point last year, which shows enrollment growth is likely to continue.
During the break between afternoon committee meetings and the evening regular session, trustees and staff members surprised Dr. Mary Kirk, with a light-hearted roast in celebration of her 10 years as MCC’s president.
In other business, the board:
• Learned that Karen Jarrett, vice president of administrative services, will retire in July.
