April 5, 2007
Albany - - The waiting game is over. Two Albany schools are getting some much-needed money to expand their degree programs. Almost $7,000,000 in state funds is heading to Albany Tech and Darton College.
Every since the General Assembly approved the funds last year, it's been a waiting game for the state to sell the municipal bonds that would benefit Albany Tech and Darton College.
"We didn't just wait without preparing. We were able to in September interview architects, in October we chose an architect," says Dr. Anthony Parker, President of Albany Tech.
They chose the architect to renovate a vacant building on the corner of Slappey Boulevard and Lippitt Drive donated by the Carlton family.
Albany Tech will get 1.8 million dollars to house a program teaching construction. Parker president says it will increase their program, which will lead to more construction workers in South Georgia.
"We also need them so we can do things like replace the base housing at MCLB, help Oakland Plantation subdivision grow faster than they are, help with downtown revitalization, new homes in the flood recovery area, new businesses downtown," he says.
Darton College will get $5,000,000 to build a brand new Health Sciences building.
"We have been trying to get this building for two or three years and this is truly an answer to our prayers," says nursing Dean Kim Cribb.
She says because of the increasing number health majors at Darton, they just need more room.
"We've grown by 170 % in five years in our nursing programs and we are just out of space both in the classroom and clinical area."
The new building will house nursing students, dental hygiene students, therapists and a host of soon to be health professionals.
Darton plans to break ground on the health sciences building this year. Albany Tech wants to have its new construction building up and running in January.
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