Groundbreaking ceremony for JCTC Carrollton Campus set for April 22

CARROLLTON, KY -- Sitework for the location of a $16 million JCTC Carrollton Campus off US 227 has begun, but officials, donors and others will gather at 2:30pm Friday, April 22, for an official ground breaking ceremony.

Remarks will be held just across the road inside the entrance to General Butler State Park. A brief shovel ceremony will move to the actual site. Among the speakers will be Rep. Rick Rand and KCTCS President Dr. Jay Box.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be a milestone in a long effort to develop the state-of-the-art facility for the region. The campus will replace the current facility, which is located in a renovated department store in downtown Carrollton.

Our current campus has served us well for many years and we are grateful for the community support that helped us grow in that location, said campus director Susan Carlisle. But now it is time to dream even bigger and we will look forward to welcoming students when our doors open in 2017.

The new Carrollton Campus had been a budget request to the General Assembly for more than a decade. It came to fruition in 2015 as part of a unique initiative called BuildSmart, in which communities were asked to raise 25 percent of the construction costs. The state sold bonds for the remaining 75 percent, which will be paid through student fees over time.

By asking the community for matching funds, the General Assembly also tested the need for and interest in a new facility, said Jefferson Community and Technical College President Dr. Ty J. Handy. This community didn't just respond, it roared. No one can question the commitment to the college.

In a campaign led by local attorney Ruth Baxter and former Carroll County Judge-Executive Harold Shorty Tomlinson, in partnership with the JCTC Foundation Inc., the community quickly reached the match, putting the Carrollton project at the top of the list for construction.

Donors included regional governments, industry and individuals. Land for the new campus was purchased in 2010, thanks to support from North American Stainless, Carrollton College Educational Foundation and Carroll County Fiscal Court.

Dr. Jay Box, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, said our mission at KCTCS is to improve the quality of life and employability of Kentuckians, but it s not a mission we can fulfill by ourselves. It takes partners like those throughout the Carrollton region to make great things happen for our families and communities.

The ceremony is open to the public; it will be followed by a reception at the Park lodge.