SEMO News Service
SIKESTON, Mo. - "Let the construction get under way!" declared Dr. Devin Stephenson, president of Three Rivers College, at the conclusion of a ceremony to mark the start of the college's Eastern Campus.
And the construction of its Sikeston site is coming none too soon. Stephenson told the standing-room-only crowd at Life Church, where the ceremony was conducted due to recent rains, that the current Sikeston campus is at capacity and having to turn students away.
The new facility, when completed near the intersection of Highways 61/60 is expected to provide room for 1,500 students. It will feature state-of-the-art computer and science labs, LPN-to-RN program facilities, a Learning Resource Center and an exhibit hall/auditorium. Also it will serve as a base for Three Rivers' workforce development programs, which provide training and education for employers.
Stephenson said the new building will provide a "stimulus to the economic development and would provide this entire region with the link that would connect us to and propel us into the future."
The classes, he said, will help to provide a more adequately trained and educated workforce able to fill the "best jobs of tomorrow."
Stephenson pointed out the new campus is the result of the efforts of many, including local, regional and state politicians. Also he noted the community has generously shown its support in bringing about the campus.
Dr. Maude Harris, mayor pro-temp for the city of Sikeston, told those gathered the city has a vested interest in the campus. "Sikeston's vision is to promote educational opportunity," she said, explaining this in turn will improve the quality of life for the residents.
According to Michelle Reynolds, development officer for Three Rivers College, approximately $1.4 million in grants and private dollars have been raised toward the construction of the campus. Fundraising efforts will continue, she added, to meet the entire cost of the $7 million project.
Also speaking at the ceremony were Riley Bock, chairman of the Three Rivers Endowment Trust; Darren Garrison, chairman of the Three Rivers College Board of Trustees; and Clyde Hawes, presiding commissioner of New Madrid County.
Following the ceremony, officials grabbed hard hats and gold-painted shovels to officially turn dirt at the site.
Currently drainage work is being completed on the 70-acre site donated by Scott and Karen Matthews and Drs. Elizabeth and Mike Brunt. The college expects to finish construction in late 2014.