BROOKINGS, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College will commemorate the beginning of construction of the new Curry Campus with a Groundbreaking Ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.  It will be a simple ceremony to pause and recognize the beginning of the long awaited facility. A formal celebration will be held when construction is complete.  

The event will be held at the new campus site on the Lone Ranch property on Highway 101. From Brookings, go past Rainbow Rock and the state gravel yard. A break in the guard rails on the right side of the road marks the entrance to the site.  Those traveling from the north will continue past Lone Ranch State Park and a weigh station. Again, look for the break in the guardrails on the left side of the road.  We encourage attendees to carpool, as parking is limited.

Ausland Builders of Medford is the general contractor for the $6,061,000 project. Ausland Builders plans to award over $1.8 million (30%) in contracts to Brookings contractors, and over $3.6 million (60%) in contracts to contractors located within 90 miles of the site. The project has required extensive preparation to prepare the site for facility construction.

We will still need to fundraise to ensure the facility has everything needed to educate and serve our students,” said Cherie Mitchell, Brookings community and Southwestern Board of Education member.

The new Curry Campus will be a two-story, 26,785 square foot building designed with all of the features needed for 21st Century learning. The facility will be equipped with wireless internet and sited/designed to maximize sustainability options. The seven classrooms will include an allied health suite supporting expanded nursing, basic nursing assistant, medical assistant and EMT training; a science lab; a computer lab; and, classrooms with SMART technology and IPV connectivity. Support areas will include dedicated areas for tutoring, studying, and testing, a resource area for students to link with on-line resources, and a faculty teaching and learning center. The two-story commons and small over-looking student lounge will provide spaces for students, teachers and the community to gather and a student government/club office will provide planning space to incubate an active, engaged student body.

The facility is also being designed as a community hub for short-term training and conferences. The community wing can be used for college classes, but easily transitions into a conference area. Its two large rooms can each be divided into two smaller rooms. It also offers an after-hours entrance/reception area and access to a catering/demonstration kitchen. Larger events can utilize the nearby two-story commons area. The community wing will provide a new and sorely needed venue for large public and private gatherings in Curry County, and is being designed so that the regular work of the college can continue with minimal disruption when it is in use for those events.

As of June 1, 2010, $181,467.80 has been pledged and donated for the Curry Campus by individuals and organizations through the ongoing capital fundraising campaign. Fundraising will continue through the construction process.

“We will still need to fundraise to ensure the facility has everything needed to educate and serve our students,” said Cherie Mitchell, Brookings community and Southwestern Board of Education member.