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February
23, 2004
MiBiz Network
By Tim Gwzodz
MUSKEGON - Construction is underway on the Muskegon Area
Career Tech Center (CTC). The $8 million facility is being built
at the corner of Harvey Street and Stebbins Road on the campus of
Muskegon Community College.
When it opens in January 2005 the CTC will house 16 programs ranging
from auto body, machine tool, welding and architectural engineering
to financial management, marketing and restaurant management. Two
programs - commercial arts and graphic arts - will be conducted
at the Stevenson Higher Education Center on the MCC campus. Two
others - construction trades and cosmetology - will be offered at
off-site locations.
Muskegon Area Intermediate School District Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Michael Bozym told MiBiz the programs at the center are specifically
focused on satisfying the needs of the Muskegon business community.
"These programs are designed to delivery the best technical
education available today and in the future. The whole center is
designed to turn around on a dime as new technologies emerge,"
said Bozym, emphasizing that many of the programs are being offered
in Muskegon County for the first time. "Every one of these
programs were designed and organized by the appropriate business
sector and the labor force that surrounds that sector."
Muskegon school district voters approved funding for the CTC in
September 2002 with the passage of a one-mill levy to build the
center on the MCC campus.
The new facility will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 high school
juniors and seniors from public, charter, and non-public schools
in the Muskegon area. Counselors within each individual district
are coordinating enrollment.
Bozym praised Muskegon voters and business leaders who helped bring
the project to fruition.
"This community can stand tall and boast that it came together
on a common vision to help itself," he said. This county stood
up and said ‘We’re going to take care of our kids.’"
Muskegon-based Hooker/DeJong Architects and Engineers designed the
58,000-square-foot center; Muskegon Construction Co. is the general
contractor on the project.
The CTC’s physical structure is being constructed with an
eye on the environment. Photovoltaic panels on a greenhouse roof
will gather solar energy to provide electricity. The heating and
cooling system will use the natural heat of the earth and sensors
on the southern-facing windows will adjust the interior lighting
based on the amount of sunlight entering the building. The storm
water collection system will direct used water back into the ground
instead of sending it to sewers.
COPYRIGHT 2004. MIBIZ NETWORK.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This article appeared in the February 23, 2004 issue of MiBiz, read
by upper management executives in West and Southwest Michigan. Print
subscriptions are free to qualified individuals who do business
in West and Southwest Michigan. For further information about MiBiz
Network, visit www.mibiz.com.
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