Outgrowing its current location, the new Hereford Campus of Amarillo College will conduct classes starting in spring 2014.
“Construction is underway with so far the structure, windows, drywall, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and facade being completed,” said Daniel Esquivel, Hereford Campus executive director.
Located on 20 acres in northwest Hereford, the new campus will be named the Everett and Mabel McDougal Hinkson Memorial Campus.
For the first time in Hereford, the new campus will house all classrooms, science labs, computer areas and student areas in one 30,000-square-foot building.
It will offer more teaching space and offer students select areas for studying and work groups.
End of construction is scheduled for November 2013.
In September 2012, Hereford Campus officials learned they would receive a $1 million grant from the Economic Development Administration to promote technical training programs.
”This grant gave us the opportunity to purchase technical training equipment for new programs such as truck driving, renewable energy, utility line worker and industrial maintenance,” Esquivel said.
“The grant will enable the Hereford Campus to offer these new technical programs to the Hereford region for the first time.”
With the addition of the $1 million grant, the new floor plan didn’t provide enough space for all the equipment that was purchased.
As a result, plans called for additional industrial labs to be included with the new floor plan. New construction of the lab begins this month.
The budget for the new campus was exceeded because of the lab addition. To raise funds for the lab, an investment campaign was initiated.
The Hereford community raised the funds needed with the help of an Amarillo Area Foundation grant.
“With both the capital campaign and the AAF grant, we will be able to complete the new labs to house the new technical programs at the new campus,” Esquivel said.
“Together with the current construction and proposed addition of the labs, the new Hinkson Memorial Campus in Hereford will provide skill-building opportunities to meet the needs of our local business and industry work force,” he said.
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