State approves funding for NVCC Technology Building

It will be college’s first new building in more than 17 years

WATERBURY (Jan. 27, 2006) — The state Bond Commission today approved $31.3 million to build a 100,000-square-foot Technology Building at Naugatuck Valley Community College, a project that will allow NVCC to consolidate all of its technology-focused curriculums on campus and under one roof.

The state Bond Commission approved $31.3 million Jan. 27 to build a Technology Building at NVCC that will allow the college to consolidate all of its technology-focused curriculums on campus and under one roof.

When it is finished in the summer of 2008, the Technology Building will be home to several programs, including automotive technology, engineering technology, information technology, hospitality management and horticulture. Due to space constraints on campus, the college has been leasing off-campus space on Thomaston Avenue in Waterbury to house its automotive technology program.

The Technology Building will be NVCC’s first new building in more than 17 years. It will be located on the eastern half of NVCC’s 110-acre campus next to Ekstrom Hall, replacing seven small temporary modular structures called the “Terrace” buildings.

The Terrace buildings were erected as a stopgap measure in 1972 in anticipation of a building similar to the Technology Building being approved for construction at that time. However, budget concerns and other issues forced NVCC to continue using the temporary buildings for the past 34 years.

The new Technology Building will contain 10 computer classrooms, four computer-aided design laboratories, a number of engineering technology laboratories, 10 general classrooms, an automotive Technology Building, kitchen and dining facilities for the hospitality management program, and a freestanding greenhouse laboratory for the horticulture program.

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced last week she would present the project and request for funding to the Bond Commission today. “This campus provides unique, affordable college opportunities to thousands of students throughout Greater Waterbury,” she said. “Our community college system is second to none because we understand the importance of investing in our citizens’ futures.”

NVCC President Richard L. Sanders said the Technology Building will help meet the critical workforce needs of Connecticut by also serving as a training area for business and industry.

“Our goals with the design of this building were to provide access to state-of-the-art technology in an interdisciplinary setting, as well as an advanced manufacturing facility and laboratory space for safe hands-on learning,” Sanders said.

Plans call for construction to take 21 months after the Terrace buildings are demolished. All of the programs have already been moved out of the Terrace buildings.

James Troup, NVCC’s dean of administration, said the project will cause some temporary inconveniences on campus over the next two years. Among them: fewer parking spaces and the closing of a pedestrian bridge that connects Ekstrom Hall to Founders Hall, a bridge that will be re-built and re-opened with the Technology Building.

“We realize that, in the short term, some people will have difficulty adjusting to the construction, but we’re asking for their patience,” Troup said. “The new Technology Building will ensure the college can continue to offer a first-rate education in technological areas well into the 21st century.”

Located on Chase Parkway off exit 18 on Interstate 84, NVCC offers more than 100 associate degrees and credit certificates, as well as hundreds of non-credit programs. It serves 35 communities across western Connecticut from Litchfield to Waterbury to Seymour to Southbury and Danbury.