YCCC, which opened its doors in 1995, has outgrown its current 78,000-square-foot building, say college officials. The new building will provide eight state-of-the-art classrooms, study areas and a mathematics laboratory.
It will also include a 140 seat lecture and performance hall which Finkelstein said will allow the school space to offer performance-based classes and host community events.
The proposed lecture and performance hall just received a boost from North Berwick company Hussey Seating, which is giving a $40,000 in-kind donation of chairs, including the installation.
Gary Merrill, president and CEO of Hussey Seating Company said in a written statement that the company has many employees who have graduated from YCCC or taken classes at the school to further their education.
“We’re proud to support an educational institution that continues to be the picture of community involvement and higher education in Southern Maine,” he said.
The building project broke ground in May 2016.
“Construction is moving along very well,” said Finkelstein. “We’re very pleased with the way everything is going.”
She said she is anticipating a soft opening in July, with maybe a few classes offered in the building, and a grand opening in September, just in time for the start of the new school year.
Enrollment in fall 2016 was up 3 percent from the previous fall, Finkelstein said, and enrollment this spring is up 2 percent from spring of last year.
The cost for the new building was projected a year ago to be about $8.4 million. Finkelstein did not have a current estimate of the project cost.
A portion of the payment—$3.4 million— will be funded through a state bond, and some money will come from college funds reserved for the construction. A capital campaign to secure more funding has raised more than $2.9 million, said Finkelstein.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].
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