After years of waiting for state funding, three Northern Kentucky educational institutions have joined for a new project to broaden Gateway Community and Technical College’s reach into the urban core, with a new planned campus in the heart of Covington.
Gateway, in partnership with the Kenton County Public Library and Covington Independent Public Schools, announced they’ll join efforts to make this happen. The planned urban campus will comprise Two Rivers Middle School, 502 Scott St., that will close this to middle school students summer and a brand new building adjacent to nearby the library set to open in 2014.
The library and this new building would be connected by walkways and doors with both the library and the college using the space, according to the college.
Lynda Jackson, Covington Schools Superintendent, said the partnership was a “win-win” for the school district and college. “We are moving the middle school to the Holmes High School Campus this summer, and we were concerned that the middle school would be vacant. Having Gateway at that site will mean the building will continue to be used to educate residents of our urban core.”
Gateway has worked to get funding from the Kentucky legislature for several years and in 2008, lawmakers approved $21.3 million to build it in a “contingency budget” that depended on excess tax revenues. Now Kentucky is facing one of its largest budget deficits in history, so it’s unlikely that state funding will come any time soon for Gateway.
That’s when the local officials started looking for creative ways to get things done.
The library had been planning a major renovation project similar to what Gateway was planning. The work together was the smart seemed the smart thing to do, said Dave Schroeder, Library Director.
“When we began thinking about our renovations plans and the college’s building plans, we discovered that we would be building between 14,000 and 18,000 square feet of space that the college was going to build. We agreed that we should pursue a joint plan that would save approximately several million dollars in construction costs,” Schroeder said.
Gateway had 3,130 students in 2007, the latest figures available. It has expanded in recent years and has campuses in Boone County, Covington and Edgewood. It also has an urban learning center in Covington and another center in Park Hills.
It’s not been decided when Gateway will start classes at Two Rivers but, it could begin as early as this fall, the college said.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Gateway Community and Technical College News Release
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