OTC breaks ground for new Center in Waynesville

Ozarks Technical Community College will soon begin construction at the site of the new OTC Waynesville Center, located at 600 GW Lane Street in Waynesville.  An official groundbreaking ceremony was held today, April 5, bringing a crowd of community supporters to the site, which is visible from Interstate 44 alongside the Waynesville Career Center and Waynesville High School.

“The current OTC Waynesville Center has seen significant growth in the last few years, and we will soon outgrow our existing facility,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of Ozarks Technical Community College.  “Partnering with the City of Waynesville will make it possible for OTC to provide the classes, programs and services needed in the Waynesville and Pulaski County communities.”

The City of Waynesville is building the new facility, and Ozarks Technical Community College will pay the bond and respective interest to the City over a 20-year lease agreement.  OTC will have the option of purchasing the property for $1,000 plus the required closing costs at the end of the 20-year term.  The total cost for the project is approximately $5,000,000.

“Having OTC in our community has been valuable to our citizens and our economy for years,” explained Waynesville Mayor Cliff Hammock.  “This is an opportunity to bring the College to a larger facility in a more prominent location, and we are confident that it will be a beneficial move, both for OTC and for Waynesville.”

The new one-story building will be 28,560 square feet on 4.5 acres, with 324 available parking spaces.  It will feature 11 classrooms and computer labs, two science labs, a student commons/lobby area, a quiet study space, and administrative offices.

The new building will open its doors to students in the spring of 2013.  In the meantime, classes will continue at the current location in the Town Field Plaza Center, 320 Ichord Avenue.