Tech campus here gets boost

Spartanburg Technical College (STC) has been awarded a $1.75 million grant for the construction of an academic and technical training facility on the college's new Cherokee County campus.

The award consists of $1.25 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration and $500,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The South Carolina General Assembly, through the efforts of Senator Harvey Peeler, has provided an additional $1.65 million. Construction costs for the facility are estimated at $3.4 million.

Scheduled for completion in the fall of 2007, the new facility will be part of the college's 62-acre Cherokee County campus that will ultimately include miles of walking

trails, ponds and recreational fields. The campus is expected to serve 500 1,000 students its inaugural year and provide area residents with the opportunity to pursue education and training close to home.

The 22,000 square-foot facility will include classrooms and a campus library. Additional facilities on the campus include the 2,500 square-foot Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation service and training facility, which is slated to open next month and will include a service facility, training area and RV hook-ups.

A third facility on the campus, the STC Foundation training center, is scheduled for completion in March 2007 and will include classrooms and a 2,000 square-foot manufacturing training area.