By Sarah Nagem
Salisbury Post
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has four new construction projects in its sights.
The projects, which would cost about $48.5 million, don’t have funding right now, said Jerry Chandler, vice president of administration, human resources and college advancement.
But the state asked schools to outline building needs in preparation of a possible bond referendum, Chandler said. The General Assembly might talk about a referendum in its next session.
“I want to be very clear that we’re not setting anything in stone,” Chandler said.
RCCC’s four priorities include two projects on its north campus in Salisbury and one on its south campus in Kannapolis. The last would serve both campuses.
The first project calls for renovations on the north campus. An architectural firm is designing a new building, and the extra space will leave some vacancies in old buildings, Chandler said.
Those buildings, some of which are 20 to 30 years old, could use a facelift, he said. Renovations would cost about $5.2 million.
The school’s second-priority project would create a public-safety facility to serve both campuses. The $15.2 million price tag includes about 25 acres of land to train first responders.
“The demand for that is increasing,” Chandler said.
The third project would be a new $7.3 million multi-purpose classroom on the south campus.
The fourth priority is a new Allied Health and Science building on the north campus.
“Allied-health programs are in great demand now,” Chandler said.
The 67,000-square-foot building would provide space to train future nurses, nursing assistants, dental assistants and others.
The building hasn’t been updated in 32 years, Chandler said. “We’re in need of quite a few renovations,” he said.