By Timothy Bold
The Scene staff
The new St. Louis Community College Center for Nursing and Health Sciences got off to a wet start.
Officials had to move the groundbreaking ceremony indoors because of rain on March 23. But that didn’t discourage Chancellor Jeff Pittman, who was all smiles.
“I’m so excited this day finally happened,” he said.
More than 50 administrators, faculty, students, staff, business leaders, alumni, politicians and STLCC board members crowded into the lobby of the Forest Park physical education building for the ceremony.
Officials wore hard hats and dug their shovels into a wooden box of dirt that was brought in for photo opportunities.
“Above all else, we are here to serve our students and the St. Louis region,” said Larry Johnson, provost of the Forest Park campus, where the building will be erected.
“The college is a pathway from secondary education to a four-year degree or a good-paying job. For our region’s employ ers, the college is a responsive pipeline to an educated and skilled workforce.”
STLCC plans to demolish A and B towers on the Forest Park campus and build a $39 million, 96,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building with four stories of steel and glass.
It will house health-science programs, including Clinical Laboratory Technology, Dental Assistance and Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Fire Protection, Funeral Directing, Radio Technology, Respiratory Care and Surgical Technology.
The fourth floor will be “open space” for future program needs and possible corporate partnerships. STLCC administration also will move into the building.
“The facility will have enough space to serve 900 students, faculty and office administration,” according to a project brochure.
STLCC has identified health sciences as a growing opportunity for the college to help meet job-market demands. Today, the college’s nursing program enrolls 400 students each semester. Some 142 graduated last year.
Dental assistant student Elshad Akhmedov, 24, attended the groundbreaking ceremony. He sees the new building as a good thing.
“I think it will bring different students from other states and parts of the world for a great opportunity,” said Akhmedov, a native of Russia.
Also in attendance was dental hygiene student Kimberly Volz, 23. She’s excited about the expansion.
“It’s time to show the community what we’re made of,” she said. “I’ve had several family members attend STLCC.”
“The facility will have more technologically advanced equipment for training,” added dental hygiene student MacKenzie Straatmann, 23. “It offers a big opportunity for jobs and to give patients the best care.”
STLCC has hired KAI Design & Build as the architectural firm for the project. Some 85 percent of contractors and other professionals work for minority owned companies, according to KAI president Michael Kennedy Jr.
The new building will be environmentally friendly with gold LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). That means it will use less water and electricity than is standard to reduce greenhouse emissions.
“The project will be improving our main corridor to the city,” Kennedy said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “A gift to St. Louis. The fact you can get cutting-edge technical programs with a nice facility for an affordable price.”
Tarlton Construction expects to complete the new building in 2019.
“We’re not going over budget, but we could run into extra expenses for additional work needed around the towers,” Pittman said.
Director of Communications and Marketing Kedra Tolson coordinated the groundbreaking ceremony, which concluded with a buffet prepared by the STLCC culinary arts department. People also could put on virtual headsets to see a three-dimensional tour of the new building.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson couldn’t attend the groundbreaking ceremony because she was out of town. But she sent Deputy Mayor Linda Martinez, a former STLCC student.
“The allied health center is important to the future of St. Louis city,” she said.