Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan said the start of work on the Cincinnati State Middletown facility “really brings a tangible element to a two-year process.”
“I look at this as another step at fulfilling that vision toward downtown,” he said. “It’s not the end-all, be-all but it’s going to be a big part of it.”
Last month, officials with Cincinnati State Technical & Community College, Higher Education Partners and the city of Middletown signed the contracts to commit to bringing the first community college to Butler County. Cincinnati State Middletown is set to open in August.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to serve the Middletown community,” said Carla Chance, Cincinnati State’s executive vice president. “Our mission is to bring affordable, geographically accessible, education to citizens who are beginning their educational pursuits, building job skills, and pursuing the associate degree.”
Students have already started to enroll; the goal for the opening is more than 200 students, and its five-year goal is 3,000 students.
Seeing work begin on the project is “really indescribable,” said Cincinnati State spokeswoman Jean Manning.
“This is the very initial part of it,” she said. “I don’t think anything too structural will happen before the 10th (of the month).”
Crews arrived at the building early Friday morning to take out the walls so contractors “can start moving the floor plan around,” she said.
The preliminary work, which also includes installing scaffolding, will last through Thursday, and then crews will be able to do mechanical and electrical work, Manning said.
The renovation work to the building’s first and third floors, part of the sixth floor and the basement are expected to be completed by mid-July.
Cincinnati State President Dr. O’dell Owens said Wednesday to a group of business professionals that the local business community will be important to the college’s success.
The community college is considered by many to be a driver to help reinvigorate an ailing downtown.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or michael.pitman@coxinc.com. Follow at
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