Lenoir Community College continues to expand its facilities in Greene County

SNOW HILL - Greene County officials celebrated Thursday the completion of a new Lenoir Community College building addition, which cost $2.1 million to complete.

LCC's Greene County center, located next to Greene Central High School, is used by college and high school students who attend the early college high school. The early college program for high school students is entering its third year and officials expect the program's Fall 2008 enrollment will have about 180 high school students.

Several Greene County commissioners and school board members gathered at the new building addition for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Rep. Van Braxton, D-Lenoir, also attended the afternoon ceremony.

"There are 58 community college systems across the state," said Braxton, whose district includes all of Greene County. "Community colleges play a vital role."

Bud Vick, LCC vice president of administrative services, said the new addition is about 17,000-square-foot, which includes classrooms, administrative offices, as well as machine and welding workspaces.

"The construction project was kept well under budget," he said. "It was a 10-month project."

LCC officials said they plan to build another addition for the center soon. Plans for another addition will mirror the just-completed addition, LCC President Brantley Briley said.

"We are truly growing as fast as any community college in the state," he said. "This is a big day for us."

LCC first offered its services to Greene County in 1967 with a single-wide mobile unit used to educate students. The college's influence in the county has steadily increased.

"We are proud to be partnered with LCC as they provide our citizens with an affordable education," Greene County Commission chairman Jack Edmondson said.

Construction work at a 9-acre site LCC site in Jones County continues this week. Officials broke ground in late June on a 7,400-square-foot building, which will cost about $970,000 to complete.

The new building is expected to be complete by next February. BMS Architects, a firm based in Wilmington, designed the Jones County facility. The new LCC Jones County campus will be located off N.C. 58 across from the Jones County Industrial Park.

Early registration for next semester will end today for students at LCC's 128-acre campus in Kinston. LCC's Fall 2008 semester begins on Aug. 18.