Tech college looks to expand
Agreement for tract may let building start in 2012
By MICHAEL HALL
The Brunswick News
Altamaha Technical College could break ground on a new Glynn County campus as early as the spring of 2012, and school’s president couldn’t be more excited.
Lorette Hoover, president of Altamaha Technical College, has her eyes on an independent campus next door to Golden Isles Career Academy that would create a hub of technical education in Glynn County.
The technical school currently offers its programs at Golden Isles Career Academy.
The Brunswick and Glynn County Economic Development Authority donated 4 acres on the east side of the career academy, 4404 Glynco Parkway, to Altamaha Tech in February.
After further consideration, however, Nathan Sparks, director of the development authority, said it was decided that the site was too small and not conducive to the kind of growth the technical school is expecting.
“The campus really requires 20 acres,” Sparks said.
The 4 acres provided space for only one building. There was no way to expand, so he and Hoover began to look for another site.
They didn’t have to go far to find it.
The development authority and the school are in negotiations with a private landowner to acquire a 25-year lease at no cost for more than 20 acres on the west side of the career academy.
“That property allows for growth because the development authority owns the land behind it,” Sparks said.
Hoover is optimistic about the prospects of the technical school having its own campus in Glynn County because it will give the school a chance to expand some of its programs.
“Eventually we hope to move the programs that do not enroll high school students out of the career academy and onto our new campus,” she said.
Preliminary leg work like surveys and environmental studies should be wrapped up by the end of the month, Hoover said. After that, if all goes well, the deal will go to the Georgia State Properties Commission for approval.
“Once we get through that we will be close to breaking ground,” she said.
The campus would start as a single 55,000 square foot building that would include space for some of the administrative offices and a few programs.
It is Hoover’s goal, however, to develop a fully functional technical school in Glynn County. Sparks said the development authority is on board and voted at its last meeting to give the school an additional 22 acres on Jack Hartman Boulevard in Eastgate Commerce Park to use for its Commercial Driver’s License training.
“That would put their driver training program right around the corner from their main campus,” Sparks said.
Although the deal between the three is not final, Hoover said the landowner is an advocate of education and she is optimistic it will happen.
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