HCTC plans $1.37 million in improvement projects

The College Avenue facility is for sale in Jackson. The building is owned by Hazard Community and Technical College. Money from the sale will go towards $1.37 million in improvement projects at the Lees College Campus.

Several major improvement projects are being planned for the Lees College Campus of Hazard Community and Technical College, along with the sale of a property on College Avenue. HCTC President Dr. Steve Greiner noted that the projects include a $900,000 renovation to the Telford Technology Center s Multimedia Studios (with approximately $100,000 additional in furniture and equipment); $130,000 in walkway and parking improvements around the Telford Center; $15,000 for paving of the Main Street parking lot across from Telford; $200,000 for roof and exterior improvements to the Smith Administration Building; $20,000 for repairing of the E.O. Robinson Library walkway; and $5,000 to replace the roof of the Strong building.

In an effort to help finance improvements at the Lees College Campus in Jackson, HCTC is preparing to sell its 1026 College Avenue property. This two-story building has 10,000 square feet, plus a basement. The first floor is partitioned into classrooms and the upstairs has remnants of an old apartment. Prior to becoming a classroom building for the campus, the property had been a restaurant, furniture store, and was an early home of the Jackson Times newspaper. Lees College purchased the building in the early 1990s and it came to HCTC as part of the transfer of the Lees College Campus during the 1996 merger. Dr. Greiner noted, Classroom space at the facility had become outdated and lacked necessary Internet capability; the new space now available in the Breathitt County Life Skills Center and Telford Technology Center will better meet today s student needs.

Enrollment at Lees has remained strong throughout the years. In addition to serving Breathitt County, residents of Owsley, Lee, Wolfe, and other counties at the northern end of HCTC s service area benefit from the availability of classes in Jackson, which is SACSCOC approved to offer programs at the associate degree level. The last day to register for the fall semester is Aug. 10 and classes are scheduled to begin Aug. 13.