Ribbon Cutting for Carlton Construction Academy Phase II planned for Thursday morning at Albany Technical College

ALBANY, GA – The official Ribbon Cutting of Carlton Construction Academy Phase II is scheduled for Thursday, March 11 at 10:00 AM on the corner of Lippitt Drive and Slappey Boulevard in Albany. A group of faculty, staff and the Carlton Family will be on hand to cut the ribbon. The event will be live on Albany Technical College’s official Facebook page.  A virtual tour video link will be provided on the event’s Facebook page for those interested in seeing the inside of the new facility.

“We are very proud to be officially introducing our newest facility to the community. This renovation has been a long journey to come back from the devastating hurricane damage. Albany Technical College now has a state-of-the-art, improved educational facility that will help prepare our graduates for the modern workforce,” Stated Dr. Anthony Parker, Albany Technical College President.

Hurricane Michael made landfall along the Florida panhandle near Panama City on October 10, 2018, as an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane. The storm's eyewall swept north-northeast still as a Category 3 storm. Winds were more than 115 mph at times. Albany, Georgia experienced the devastating storm, Hurricane Michael, and it impaired much of the city. One of the buildings on Albany Technical College's campus, Carlton Construction Academy, suffered extensive damage to the roof. As a result, six programs were affected, involving over 200 students. The six programs include Air Conditioning Technology, Building Maintenance, Carpentry, Electrical Construction, Masonry, and Plumbing Technology. These programs were temporarily located around the campus at Albany Technical College. Classes resumed for all students Monday, January 7, 2019.

Repair of the Carlton Construction Academy facility was expected to take less than one year with anticipation of reopening the Carlton Construction Phase I by Fall 2020. Albany Technical College worked closely with the Technical College System of Georgia to secure the financing and oversee the project. Repair on the damaged Academy began in February 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of plans to shift. Phase II of the Carlton Construction Academy was completed in the fall of 2020.

History

In 2003, Albany Tech acquired the Carlton Construction Academy site through a donation from the philanthropic Carlton Family. The facility housed classroom space and labs for such programs as carpentry, construction management, industrial air conditioning technology, masonry, and plumbing. At the time of the donation, the facility was valued at $2 million dollars.

Phase II of the facility renovation centered on an extensive overhaul of the site's industrial warehouse space. These renovations provide additional classroom space and lab upgrades for programs like electrical construction and civil engineering technology. There is now space to add several new disciplines to the curriculum, including green building technology, residential energy efficiency, and renewable, sustainable energy.

The $4.9 million project, which added 28,633 square feet of useable space to the Academy, also called for HVAC and architectural upgrades needed to house a modern teaching facility. During the renovation, the facility's facade was modified to reflect the architectural design of other campus buildings that face Slappey, one of Albany's major thoroughfares.