LEE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Southern Base of the Research Triangle Region NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, February 20, 2003 GALA SET TO BREAK GROUND FOR NEW PHONE SCHOOL & INDUSTRIAL SITES SANFORD -- Two economic development projects in Lee County will kick off Wednesday, Mar. 12, when civic leaders break ground to expand the Lee County Industrial Park and begin construction on a new home for the North Carolina School for Telecommunications. A ground breaking ceremony, open to the public, will begin at 11 a.m. across from GKN Automotive on Womack Road in northern Lee County. A luncheon by invitation will follow at the site. When completed, the $3.2 million telecommunications school will include an administrative hub and one wing of classrooms, with additional instructional wings projected for construction from 2004 through 2020. The central portion of the school features a library, student lounge, conference room and offices. Expansion is long overdue for the state's only comprehensive program of telecommunications installation and maintenance. The number of students in the program operated by Central Carolina Community College has overwhelmed the three small classrooms at the school's current site, forcing some specialized courses to be held at remote locations. "The new building will pull all the classes back together and under one roof," said Preston Sellers, dean of industrial technologies. "Two of the classrooms will be set aside for Building Industry Consulting Services International, classes that are now in session at the college's Jonesboro Center. The remaining nine classrooms will be used for fiber optics, cable splicing and other telecommunications practices." Sellers said the school's new location will be particularly attractive to students coming from around the state and industry leaders working in the Research Triangle Park. Perched near U.S. Highway 1 and the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport, the new facility also provides easy access to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and the Highway 87-421 bypass now under construction. Construction of the 20,295-square-foot school actually began Feb. 1. When the project is completed in late December or early next year, the school will become the first occupant along the new 8,500-foot stretch linking Colon and Womack Roads. Engineer Don Sever of ms consultants said work should begin in the next two months to grade land for the two-lane roadway. The first 1,000 feet off of Colon Road will be paved immediately, he said, along with the first 500 feet off of Womack Road, where the new telecommunications school will be located. The rest will be filled with gravel to make the road accessible and paved as new industries move in. Scheduled work on the site also includes installing a sanitary sewer system to serve new industries at the park and about 2,500 other acres around the Colon Road area. Having additional industrial sites ready for development should make Lee County an even more attractive location for industry, and some businesses are already considering the new sites. "Part of being competitive for industry is having a lot of options available for companies looking to build or relocate," said Bob Heuts, director of the Lee County Economic Development Corp. "The expansion," he said, "gives us more to offer industries on the north side of the county and along U.S. 1, which has been a particularly popular site for companies in the past. This new project should make us even more competitive." Heuts said the industrial park expansion was made possible by county commissioners, who recognized the need to maintain an inventory of available sites and approved the project without requiring a commitment from industry. Ceremonies will be held under a large tent at the ground breaking site, where parking will be available. The gala is slated to open with a welcome by Donny Hunter, chairman of the economic development group. Others expected to participate in the ceremony include: Doug Byrd, manager of community relations for the North Carolina Department of Commerce; Matthew Garrett, executive vice president and chief academic officer for Central Carolina Community College; Winston Hester, mayor of Sanford; Herb Hincks, chairman of the Lee County Board of Commissioners; Marvin Joyner, president of Central Carolina Community College; and Tony Lett, chairman of the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees. The Lee County Economic Development Corp. is a nonprofit organization established to attract industry, enhance job opportunities and promote sound planning across Lee County. Funding is provided by the county, as well as the City of Sanford and Town of Broadway, the county's two municipalities. -- 30 -- Press Contacts: Bob Heuts, Director Jane Haber, Administrative Assistant Lee County Economic Development Corp. 919-774-8439 (phone) 919-775-5410 (fax) info@lcedc.com Kira Collins, Media Relations Central Carolina Community College 919-718-7265 (phone) kscollins@cccc.edu Media Web: http://www.lcedc.com/media/ This release: http://www.lcedc.com/media/releases/nr022003.txt College Web: http://www.cccc.edu Members of the media attending the event are asked to R.S.V.P. to Jane Haber at the economic development office, 919-774-8439 or info@lcedc.com.