Calais college reveals renovation project

CALAIS – Officials at Washington County Technical College have unveiled plans for a $3.1 million addition.

The 18,000-square-foot project, which will be located in front of the administrative building and serve as a focal point for the campus, will house a library, student center, bookstore and Internet lounge.

Funds for the addition will come from the $26 million bond issue voters approved last year. The Calais campus is one of seven technical college sites in the state that will receive renovation-construction funds.

It has been nearly a decade since any major construction has been done at the college. In the early 1990s, the school built St. Croix Hall, which houses the culinary arts program and gymnasium.

According to architectural drawings, the addition will be located at the front of the building. To the right of the entry will be an outdoor patio and walkway designed to offer panoramic views of the St. Croix River and a nearby pond.

The student center and snack bar will be on the first floor.

“The center will have a lot of one-stop shopping and will be very user-friendly,” WCTC President William Flahive said Tuesday. “There will be a receptionist, as well as the admissions office, student office and financial aid office all up front,” he said.

The second floor will house a library twice the size of the current library. There also will be a learning assistance center where students may get tutoring. “There is computer-assisted learning there and it will be staffed by a full-time developmental studies person,” Flahive said.

In addition to the construction, classrooms and the space formerly used for the library and bookstore will be renovated. An elevator will connect the two floors.

The project is expected to go out to bid in March. Construction is scheduled to begin in May, with a projected completion date in the fall of 2002.

As the demands of education change, Flahive said, the technical college has to change to meet those needs. He said he asked the architect, J. Gordon Architects of Bangor, to do an analysis of the school’s needs.

As programs are added, there will be a need for more support services, including a larger library and student center.

Flahive said the college focused on the needs of the community. “We serve the region, and we support businesses and industries. We have loads of single parents, loads of people going part time,” he said.

As recently as 10 years ago, the main thrust of the school was technical education courses that turned out plumbers and electricians.

Today, the school offers a liberal arts study program.

“We are what we call a comprehensive technical and community college which offers transfer programs and associate degree programs,” Flahive said. “People want a lot of choices.”