Piedmont Tech’s New Newberry County Campus Open for Business
The doors to the new Piedmont Technical College Newberry County Campus were officially opened for business recently during an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony.
“What started as an idea became a thought. The thought became a plan and plans were acted on,” said Dr. Ray Brooks, PTC president. “We’re here to celebrate that idea, that vision, in the form of this building.”
“Our vision for Piedmont Technical College is to become the premiere college, to be out front leading and providing the best education possible for our students,” said William Whitfield, Piedmont Tech Area Commission Chairman. “To fulfill this vision, we chose to invest in ourselves and not follow someone else’s lead.”
The more than 100 visitors were invited to tour the facility following the ceremony. Other speakers included George Piersol, Area Commissioner from Newberry County; Henry “Buddy” Livingston, Newberry County Council Chairman; Senator William O’Dell, District 4; Senator Ronnie Cromer, District 18; and Phillip Paradice, Atlanta Regional Director with Economic Development Administration.
“An educated workforce is essential to economic development,” Livingston said. “The ability to train workers for any opportunity is a major calling card for Newberry County’s Economic Development program.”
Voters in Newberry approved the penny capital project sales tax by an overwhelming majority in November 2010. The project re-used an abandoned “big box” retail site, a former Walmart store, providing additional classroom space and jobs-specific training for the college’s Newberry County Campus. The new campus is 53,000 square feet, an increase from the 30,340 square feet of the old facility, and includes a larger library, a student canteen, two biology labs, four PEN rooms, two computer labs, 15 classrooms, a patient care technology lab and classroom and the veterinary technology wing that includes classroom, lab and kennel space. An additional 20,000 square feet remains for potential expansion.
Photo Caption: Piedmont Technical College and Newberry County officials cut the ribbon announcing the grand opening of the new Newberry County Campus.