Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking April 20 for the Newtown Campus, Science Education Center, at 500 Newtown Pike, Lexington. The new building is projected to open in January 2018.
The Science Education Center will support up-to-date laboratory experiences and feature dynamic classroom technology. It will include labs, classrooms, student support areas, and offices for 20 faculty. The 64,000 sq. ft. building will also be home to two technical programs, Biotechnology and Environmental Science.
“With this facility, we are growing the campus to support excellent STEM education,” said Dr. Augusta Julian, president of BCTC. “These modern labs and classrooms will provide the latest technology to foster a new generation of scientists and support development of a well-trained workforce. We are especially proud of the Biotechnology Contract Services lab which will enhance connections to our workforce partners and help their business grow.”
The Science Education Center will be built at a cost of $24 million, with one-quarter of the cost local funding. The BuildSmart fundraising initiative will bring $18 million in agency bonds to the project. The building was designed by Lexington’s Omni Architects and will be built to meet LEED certification standards for green building initiatives.
