CCC&TI moves ahead with building despite state’s budget crunch
By Scott Nicholson

The Watauga campus of Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute is officially poised for expansion, but as with most public agencies, a lean budget year lies ahead.

CCC&TI president Ken Boham said the two-campus system is facing a cut of between 10 to 12 percent under proposals being debated in the N.C. General Assembly. While a budget plan is in place, Boham said it’s not as simple as dropping in a formula as was proposed for the public school system.

He said it was too early to speculate on any staff cuts, especially given the number of programs and part-time instructors affiliated with the college. “My intention is to have all of our happy, smiling faces back in the fall,” Boham said.

The system has a budget of around $24 million, but stands to lose an allocation for colleges with more than one campus and also could be losing money for a truck-driver training program.

Even with the challenging economic situation, the Watauga campus has already braced for growth, with a new classroom building scheduled to open this fall. The 22,000-square foot facility will house a nursing program, a storage area, two vocational shops and a general classroom.

“We haven’t had final inspection yet, but we have a temporary certificate of occupancy so we could have a meeting in there,” Boham said. “We’re not sure when state final inspection is scheduled, but my hope is for fall classes to meet in there. We’ve moved in tables and chairs and finished the landscaping, and there’s one or two things left on the ‘punch list.’”

The state Board of Nursing indicated concerns about the amount of space allocated for the college’s program and officials felt the expansion was needed. The new building took several years to complete at a cost of $3.1 million.

The space augments the 22,000-square foot main campus and three modular buildings at the site on N.C. 105 Bypass. The main building will also undergone some renovation.

“We anticipate renovating the current shop area and instructional facility to turn it into another general classroom, so we can increase the number of students and replace the student gathering area,” Boham said.

The next expansion is already on the books but Boham doesn’t expect to see it receive funding anytime soon.

He expects the next statewide educational bond referendum to contain money for a 75,000 square foot campus in Watauga. The college has already received $75,000 for planning.