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PRESS RELEASE For more information contact:
The community is invited to tour the newest facility along what is called "the Woodward Avenue Corridor" immediately following the 2:30 p.m. ribbon cutting. Construction began in April 1999 and has taken place largely out of public view because the wooded, six-acre site to the east of the ACC Natural Resources Center is not visible from Johnson Street. "Citizens will be pleasantly surprised, I think, by the beauty and size of the WCCT," said ACC President Donald L. Newport. "We are pleased about the benefits this project provides our concrete technology students and the expanded industry services, of course, but also important is what it represents for development of this part of the city," he said. Cooperation between ACC, the City of Alpena, Besser Co. and Target: Alpena 2000 secured two Community Development Block grants to upgrade Woodward Avenue and extend sewer and water lines to serve the WCCT and beyond. A land use plan for the area has also been developed The $7 million WCCT is a public-private partnership, built with a $3.5 million capital outlay appropriation from the State of Michigan, a $99,000 Rural Business Enterprise grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Office of Rural Economic Development, a $750,000 Economic Development Administration grant from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and in-kind and cash donations from individuals as well as local, national and international concrete and concrete products companies. The building itself is named Harris Hall, in recognition of a $400,000 gift from William Harris, II who wished to commemorate the involvement of three generations of his family in the concrete industry. A full concrete products production lab for training and research represents contributions in excess of $1 million from Besser Co. and its family of companies.The 42,360 square-foot facility also contains computer, testing and instruction labs; a conference room; three classrooms and offices. WCCT Executive Director James Hayford, who began work May 1, will coordinate the existing Blockmakers Workshop series and develop new specialized services to expand the academic programming, workforce training, research and testing that ACC has offered the industry since 1968. Industry representatives serve on the Concrete Technology Advisory Committee for the associate in applied science degree program and on the Partners Council, an advisory body for the WCCT. Donors will get to see the facility at an appreciation dinner there Friday evening. Saturday activities include an early morning Partners Council golf outing and noon meeting of the advisory committee. Public activities begin at 1:30 p.m in front of Harris Hall when Lake Superior State University and ACC will sign of an articulation agreement that gives ACC Concrete Technology program graduates the option to complete a bachelor’s degree in Alpena from LSSU. At 2:15 p.m., the Besser Chorus will perform, and at 2:30 p.m. the ribbon cutting will officially open the WCCT. Tours will start after that and continue until 4:15 p.m. when visitors will get to see a demonstration of the concrete products production equipment. The day wraps up with a Friends of WCCT dinner at the upper level of Thunder Bay Recreation Center. -###- |