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| Tobacco Commission grant will mean more classrooms |
Staff Photo by Morris Stephenson:
Stacey Jones, an employee of The Franklin Center, checks out one section of a storage area on the lower level that will soon be converted to classroom space. |
Friday, January 22, 2010
By CHARLES BOOTHE - Staff Writer
Franklin County has received a $451,000 grant to renovate the lower level of The Franklin Center, adding more classroom space.
Rick Huff, county administrator, said the money is from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission and will mean seven additional classrooms in the facility's lower level.
Those classrooms come at an opportune time, he said, because Patrick Henry Community College is starting an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) program at The Franklin Center this fall.
"The work should go out for bid by late February," Huff said. "It will be renovated in time for the fall semester."
Funding provided by the Tobacco Commission will assist the county with the completion of the lower level of the existing center, and the additional 4,700 square feet will consist of approximately seven additional classrooms for instruction and career counseling space, Huff said.
The finished lower level will house classrooms, computer labs, and much-needed training space to accommodate the rising demands for education and workforce development, he said.
The center is experiencing record growth in student enrollments and customers seeking higher education in a challenging economy, Huff added.
"The success of The Franklin Center is evident in that the existing facility has surpassed its maximum capacity, due to the increased utilization of services," said Kathy Hodges, executive director of the center. "The training providers have experienced challenging accessibility and flexibility for training, classroom and program space."
The additional space in the lower level of the center will allow "new programs, certificates and degrees in a competitive economy, which will include an LPN (Licensed Practical Nursing) program, to begin in the fall of 2010," Hodges said.
The center is part of the Franklin County Workforce Development Consortium, which was created in 1999 and represents 20 entities, including local governments, public school system, area colleges, Virginia Employment Commission, Western Virginia Workforce Investment Board, and other community-based agencies tasked with the mission of promoting education, workforce and economic development.
The Franklin Center for Advanced Learning and Enterprise opened in 2007 and now offers a wide range of classes and programs for residents. |
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