Community college officials and supporters break ground Thursday on 22,000 square foot trades education center

By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/Lincoln Chronicle

NEWPORT – Construction ceremoniously commenced Thursday on Oregon Coast Community College’s 22,000-square-foot trades center building – a milestone for a hub aimed to train students in carpentry, construction, maritime technology and aquaculture.

Politicians, college leaders and supporters symbolically shoveled dirt in the air and posed for photographs in front of a crowd of more than 60 people. While the timing and significance of the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy 24 years ago was not lost on OCCC President Marshall Mease Roache, the day also marked the 16th anniversary of the opening of the Newport campus.

Behind Roache, there were seven painted golden shovels, used for that same groundbreaking in 2007– purchased at a local hardware store and painted back then by former president Patrick O’Connor.

“That really speaks to who we are,” Roache said. “We take the resources that the community gives us and we invest them for continual usage, for continual repurposing.

As the college drew plans to expand their trade programs they went out into the community, first connecting with employers, fishing boat owners, small and large business owners trying to understand the gaps in employment.

“We know that when people leave their communities for education, they’ve rarely come back to those communities, and so we need to make a pathway for people to live, work and prosper here in Lincoln County,” Roache said.

Voters approved a $33 million bond by a 2-to-1 margin last year to build the Oregon Coast Advanced Technology and Trades Center with an additional $8 million coming from the Oregon Legislature. To supporters of the project, the passing of the bond reflected its importance to the community.

As plans and curriculum are drawn up from HVAC to maritime technology, there is an acknowledgement that as industries change, so will the trades center.

“Flexibility is to be in the DNA of this building … we know the jobs of today won’t look the same as tomorrow,” said Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City. “We are saying to the next generation, your future is here, whether that future is aquaculture, industrial maintenance, marine technology or a field we haven’t even imagined yet, this college, this building, this community, will be ready.”

Of the $41 million available, the trades center is expected to cost $31 million to build and equip. The rest of the funds will be used for roof repairs, safety measures in all buildings, update classrooms, technology and other facilities, and enhance or acquire equipment to help respond to community-wide emergencies.

The bond replaces an expiring one that voters approved 20 years ago that established the OCCC campuses in Newport, Lincoln City and Waldport and carries an expected tax rate of 21 cents per $1,000 assessed property value – the same rate as the expired bond.

A training hub

Architectural designs show a large, modern building with tall windows that stretch from ceiling to floor, roll-up doors and spacious movable labs designed for versatility.

“Inside the building, it’s going to have a lot of open space,” Bruce Clemetsen, the college’s interim vice president of Academic and Student Affairs said in an interview with Lincoln Chronicle. “It’s going to have a lot of systems that are flexible, mobile, adaptable, because trades are changing just as fast as any other industry, and we’ve got to be able to adapt.”

The building will have four main spaces, a building lab, dirty lab, mechanical lab and electronics lab. There will be space to expand carpentry and work with wood, space to bring in boats to work on, he said.

“We’ve really kind of taken time over the last couple of years to be learning where in the community there are employment needs that are not being met,” Clemetsen said.

Construction, maritime technology and aquaculture showed large areas of need. Those industries need employees, but training is not readily available. Often, the training falls to employers. Boat owners and captains have to put in extra time to train someone who may have never worked on a boat before, Clemetsen said.

Similarly, students who often start in the college’s carpentry program have never picked up a power tool before. The college partners with a virtual reality company, which trains them on what personal protective equipment to wear, and how to use heavy machinery before any hands-on experience, said apprenticeship coordinator Craig Watkins-Brandt

With the expanding programs they hope to add virtual welding to the curriculum. The curriculum has been shaped by community feedback, subject matter experts, and looking at other college programs. Programs would also connect students with internships and apprenticeships.

Based on current needs in Lincoln County, programs are expected to produce underwater welders, deck hands, maritime technicians who can fix boats, and give those looking into aquaculture training on how to create systems for fish to live and reproduce.

“We’re really focused on working with people that probably have zero experience, and we’re trying to get them kind of first-day ready,” Clemetsen said. “What’s pretty exciting is the amount of input we’ve had from the community, and we are going to have some really solid programs lined up because of that.”

The building’s “footprint” is expected to be complete by November and over 130 trees will be felled on the plot on the college’s main campus. College officials say they are working with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians so they can harvest native plants at the site before the space is cleared for construction. The project is expected to finish by fall 2027.

• Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org