August 27, 2013 Kenneth Colangelo

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In photo L to R with Tunxis President Cathryn L. Addy, Ph.D. and director of facilities John Lodovico (both in center) are: John Cavacas, CT DAS Division of Construction Services; Peter Simmons, CT DAS Division of Construction Services; Warren Breece, W.J. Mountford Co.; and Kevin Kerchaert, AIA, Techton Architects Inc.

In photo L to R with Tunxis President Cathryn L. Addy, Ph.D. and director of facilities John Lodovico (both in center) are: John Cavacas, CT DAS Division of Construction Services; Peter Simmons, CT DAS Division of Construction Services; Warren Breece, W.J. Mountford Co.; and Kevin Kerchaert, AIA, Techton Architects Inc.

Tunxis Community College, joined by state and local officials, and others from the Board of Regents for Higher Education, celebrated the opening of a new, $12.6 million classroom building extension at an open house on August 22.

“If it takes a small village to raise a child, it takes the equivalent of a small city to build a building in Connecticut,” said Tunxis President Cathryn Addy, Ph.D., of the second of a multi-phase construction project. “It’s been an exciting journey,” she said, noting several key people including the architects Craig Saunders and Kevin Kerchaert from Techton, Peter Simmons and John Cavacas from CT DAS Department of Construction Services, Warren Breece of W.J. Mountford Construction Co., the general contractor, and Tunxis director of facilities John Lodovico, whom she thanked for his knowledge and attention to detail in shepherding the project from concept to design and construction. “We’re two-thirds of the way through. There is a Phase III,” she added.

The three-floor 600 Classroom Building extension adds 56,000 square feet of space designed to enhance learning and support new teaching approaches. The extension consists of 20 classrooms, including 15 general purpose classrooms, two computer labs, a writing lab, math lab, and early childhood education program classroom. In the future, the unfinished third floor will become college offices and meeting space.

Tunxis Community College originally opened its doors in Farmington in October 1970 with 494 students. Today the College serves close to 12,000 credit and non-credit students each year and provides an array of educational services and degree programs including courses in fine arts, business, early childhood education, liberal arts & sciences, marketing, dental hygiene and assisting, computer information systems, criminal justice, human services, engineering, and technology.

 

 

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