The demolition process of the old welding building at Sampson Community College began this week, with architects announcing the future facilities design plan.
JKF Architecture was selected by the college to construct an 8,000-square-foot welding building on the campus. The project includes a state-of-the art welding lab, new general purpose classrooms, faculty offices, conference space and restrooms.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to deliver this project to the college,” said JKF Architecture president John Farkas. “We value our relationship with the entire Sampson County community and our team looks forward to supporting making this project a reality.”
The architectural firm has completed a number of projects for Sampson Community College over the last few years, including a recent master plan update, East Building addition and roof replacements.
Farkas presented the bids to the Board of Trustees during the November meeting. Total bid cost for the welding building was $3,286,127. This bid was awarded to Daniels and Daniels Construction of Goldsboro.
The project will be funded through a combination of local, state and federal funds, including a grant from the Economic Development Administration, which provides matching funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
Local industry leaders have been instrumental in the grant and meeting the needs of local workforce demands. The welding and metal fabrication building, an 8,000-square-foot facility, will allow for the training needed to create 50 jobs and save 24 jobs at local industries.
Hog Slat, Prestage Farms, Dubose National Energy, Smithfield Hog Production, Enviva, Schindler and Robinson and Son Machines have together invested $8.8 million in private funding.
The facility will replace a smaller shop area that is currently housed in a 25-year old metal building and used for welding construction. The current location lacks proper ventilation, adequate instructional space and cannot be renovated or expanded to adequately support the use of automated and robotic devices.
While the new facility will be located in Sampson County, surrounding counties will also benefit from the expanded facility and training services. Local industries will not only assist in writing the curriculum used to train the workers, but have a larger pool of trained individuals to pull from when hiring, therefore decreasing the local unemployment rate.
A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for later in February.
