Events at EMCC help celebrate school’s growth

BANGOR – Back-to-back events held Thursday at Eastern Maine Community College helped celebrate visible growth at the school in recent years.

EMCC President Joyce Hedlund kicked off a “close-in” ceremony at the site of the new college center, expected to be completed by July, and offered guests a tour of the future facility. Close-in refers to closing in the shell of the structure.

“This is kind of an unusual event,” Hedlund said. “Since we elected not to do a groundbreaking, we thought the midpoint of the construction would be a good time to invite people out.”

The construction began about four years ago but hit a snag because of Department of Environmental Protection permitting problems, Hedlund said. However, Dan Belyea, director of facilities management at the college, assured many board of trustees members and donors in attendance that the project is back on track.

“I am pleased to announce that we are on time and on schedule,” Belyea said. “Things are running like a smooth machine at this point.”

The new student center will house a cafeteria, new library facilities, added classroom space and the first child care center at the school. According to Hedlund, funding for the project came from two sources, a state bond and a capital campaign initiative titled Working People.

More than $1 million has been raised so far, Hedlund said, and Working People is expecting to raise another $500,000. Many of the project’s supporters spoke at the ceremony about the necessity of projects like the new student center.

“We look at this building as a symbol of what’s going on around the state,” said Charles “Dusty” Fisher, a member of EMCC’s board of trustees. “This is just a starting point.”

The center is being constructed on the site of Katahdin Hall, a former residence building that Hedlund called ideal for renovations. WBRC Architects-Engineers of Bangor and Bowman Brothers Inc. of Newport have been overseeing the construction.

“The vision for this project really came from the staff and the administration at EMCC,” said principal architect Mike Pullen of WBRC. “We were just the facilitators.”

Following the ceremony, EMCC hosted its 11th annual Reception for Area Legislators, Business Partners and Community Members at Rangeley Hall. Greg Swett, dean of students at EMCC, said the event is a testament to the growing support of the school by alumni and legislators.

“I think people really value the fact that virtually every graduate of EMCC is using his or her skills in the community,” Swett said. “Job placement has always been a top priority at this school.”

Three students, Matthew Nasin, Arla Muller and Daren Worcester, were given the opportunity to speak about their respective and varied experiences at EMCC. The reception also honored two community members, Scott Smith of Fastco Fabrication Inc. and James Swett of Swett’s Tire and Auto, with EMCC’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.