The Times Record: SMCC fetes acquisition of former Navy buildings

Posted: July 26, 2011 | Education and Cultural Affairs, News Items, Senator Gerzofsky
By Seth Koenig, Times Record Staff
Published: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 2:00 PM EDT
BRUNSWICK — Southern Maine Community College officials were scheduled to hold a sledgehammer swinging ceremony this morning to announce their formal acquisition of former Brunswick Naval Air Station buildings and kickoff of renovations to them.
This morning, retiring SMCC President James Ortiz, Democratic state Sen. Stan Gerzofsky of Brunswick and MRRA Executive Director Steve Levesque were scheduled to ceremonially swing sledgehammers at the former Navy Building 151 to kick off renovations of the facility.

The former Surface Naval Reserve Center is in line to become the school’s new Maine Advanced Technology & Engineering Center (MATEC), an operation formerly housed at the former Times Record building on Industry Road. The deed for Building 512, a former Navy officers’ quarters facility to be used as a residence hall and temporary campus center by the community college, also is due to be transferred to the school as part of today’s event.

If plans come to fruition, the so-called Midcoast Campus of SMCC will occupy five former Navy buildings on a block just southeast of Fitch Avenue, the main road into the base. By 2012, SMCC officials expect to serve 2,000 students locally.

Three other base structures are due to be transferred to the community college in the fall.

In a statement issued prior to today’s ceremony, Ortiz said the community college is particularly appreciative of Gerzofsky’s efforts to establish the Mid-coast campus. Gerzofsky helped develop the idea of the campus nearly five years ago, championed its establishment in legislative sessions and fought for tax increment financing and bond money at the state level to help fund the project.