GSCC's Advanced Manufacturing Center project now underway, projected to be finished by 2024

It's official: After months of discussion, Gadsden State Community College is officially in the beginning phases of construction on its Advanced Manufacturing Center.

This announcement was made on Thursday during a press conference at the college.

Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood has been selected as the architect on the project; a groundbreaking ceremony will be held at a later date.

The project was originally proposed in 2021 after the college began applying for funding to make it happen. The facility was initially projected to cost $10 million for up to a 42,000-square-foot building to host advanced manufacturing programs.

Now, however, the center will span over 50,000 square feet, in a facility that will be built adjacent to the East Broad Street campus and is set to feature a variety of workshops for programs such as welding, precision machinery and robotics.

Previously: Annual donation by GSCC President Murphy to provide for Cardinal Foundation scholarship

From earlier this year: GSCC sees all-time high in dual enrollment students, contributes to state increase

These workshops, according to Dr. Alan Smith, GSCC's dean of workforce development, will allow the college to offer a variety of educational programs for dual enrollment, short-term and long-term professional certificates, associate degrees and a wide variety of other trainings.

"This facility will have the ability to increase training capacity by modernizing our facilities and creating a center for all paths of education that walk through our doors," Smith said. "This will be a game-changer in the workforce and economic development for years to come."

According to GSCC President Dr. Kathy Murphy, the project has a 24-month construction timeline, with completion being estimated for 2024 "at the latest." This is mostly because the original plans for the facility had to be adjusted thanks to the increased costs related to location changes and inflation.

"The Alabama Department of Transportation recently announced the Eastern Connector from Interstate 759 to (U.S.) Highway 431. While it is something our community needs and we've been waiting for, it also is projected to go straight through the original site we had selected for the facility," Murphy said. "This has increased our costs to the tune of several million dollars to help with water and sewer lines, road circulation and additional site preparations."

She added that this project "directly aligns" with both the ASPIRE 2030 vision for the Alabama Community College System, noting the plan serves as the "conceptual framework" for the facility.

"ASPIRE stands for 'Achieving Systemwide Potential through Increased Resources and Engagement' and is the result of a statewide bond issue passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2020 to provide funding for facility upgrades and new construction for all levels of education in Alabama," the college explained in a press statement.

"I have an interest in finding ways to help our system move forward. If we do our job, the community college system is the best vehicle to bring about significant change to the state of Alabama," said ACCS Chancellor Jimmy Baker.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also commemorated the facility as a positive input to her "Strong Start, Strong Finish" plan, which she hopes to increase the number of skilled workers in Alabama.

"I commend GSCC for this announcement as it will help modernize and positively impact the college and community to best strengthen Alabama's workforce," state Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, a GSCC alumnus, said on behalf of Ivey, "The best is yet to come."

Other Alabama politicians sent in congratulatory videos that were aired during the announcement meeting, commemorating the achievement and discussing the impact this will have in the region and across the state.

"Business is booming in the state, which brings increased workforce demands that will be met with accessible opportunities like these. This will allow students to get the training they need to best meet industry needs," said U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama.

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"This is going to be a state-of-the-art facility that will help best train students for years to come," added U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville.

Locally, the facility will not only benefit the local workforce, officials say, but other areas such as K-12 education and the community as a whole.

“Today was a big day for Gadsden and Etowah County.  The announcement of the advanced manufacturing facility at Gadsden State Community College helps put the Gadsden metro area at the forefront of industrial recruitment,” David Hooks, executive director of the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority, said in a statement to The Times. “I want to congratulate Dr. Kathy Murphy on her tireless effort to bring this exciting project to fruition.

“The quality of a community’s workforce is one to the first things site selectors look for when locating a project,” Hooks said. “This new facility will provide Dean Alan Smith the equipment needed to prepare our workforce not just for today but for the future.”

"We currently have the future workforce in our hallways right now and we want to develop them and bring them here to enhance our region and county," said Dr. Alan Cosby, superintendent for Etowah County Schools, "This is a great day for every single one of our students and our faculty."

“Every day is a gift and a blessing but today is also a defining time for us,” Murphy added. “This will impact the community, our service area and the great state of Alabama. This facility will change the lives of those in our communities for good and forever.”

For more information on the Advanced Manufacturing Center, visit the newly created website at https://www.gadsdenstate.edu/programs-of-study/amc.cms

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: GSCC's Advanced Manufacturing Center gets the green light