Work continues to finish a new maintenance facility at the Flint Hills Technical College main campus.
On KVOE’s Tech Talk interview Tuesday, President Caron Daugherty says construction is part of the reason why programs at the Humanitarian Center in downtown Emporia have moved to the main campus near 18th and Graphic Arts as part of a plan mentioned on KVOE’s airwaves for over a year. This has set up a rather unique memorandum of understanding agreement between the college and USD 253 Emporia as construction could end this fall.
While the college doesn’t have enough space for the dirt — which could equate to 3,000 tons of dirt or more — there is district-owned property immediately to the east of the college that is available after research into utility placements and other underground matters.
Advancing Technology is the college’s $17 million capital campaign to fund construction of a brand-new Advanced Industry Education Center at the main campus. Daugherty says a new naming opportunity will be announced this week after the WS and EC Jones Trust offered a $2 million lead gift for the project. This comes as pre-construction work is in full swing.
The 27,000-square-foot facility will help to provide dedicated space for existing programs to help increase the success of students, thus bolstering the supply of qualified workers for local industries. The new facility will be occupied by the industrial engineering, robotics and technology departments as well as the college’s power plant program. Early indications have classes possibly starting in the Advancing Industry Center by the fall 2028 or spring 2029 semesters.
USD 253 could approve the dirt MOU at its board meeting Wednesday, while the college’s Board of Trustees could do likewise at its meeting next week. More information about Advancing Technology is online at fhtc.edu.
