Mountain View — Ozarka College held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Student and Nursing Education Center on Ozarka College Drive in Mountain View, on Tuesday, August 10. Approximately 150 people gathered at the building site for the ceremony and reception, which followed in the current facility.
After local musicians, the Cobb Brothers, Joe Jewell, and Pam Setser entertained the crowd; Ozarka College President, Dr. Richard Dawe welcomed those attending and introduced Ozarka’s Board of Trustees, Foundation Board members, and other dignitaries in attendance. He spoke about the increasing need for overall space as enrollment continues to grow in Stone County and expressed his appreciation to the community for their past, present and future support of the College.
Guest speakers for the ceremony included: State Senator Paul Miller; Stone County Judge, Stacy Avey; Mountain View Mayor Jim Cash; Stone County Trustee, Larry Sullivan; Stone County Foundation Board Member, Susan Kemp; and Ozarka College – Mountain View Site Coordinator, Gin Brown.
Other elected officials in attendance were: State Representative Eddie Cooper (District 71); State Representative Curren Everett (District 82); Joe Dillard, on behalf of US Representative, Marion Berry; and Marietta McClure, Field Representative for US Senator Mark Pryor. The event concluded with the ceremonial groundbreaking and reception.
The permanent home of Ozarka College – Mountain View opened in August of 2005 after ten acres of land was purchased by the College in May of 2003. Enrollment has grown each year since the facility opened and the Ozarka College Board of Trustees recognized the need for additional space and unanimously approved a resolution to provide construction funding through institutional bond restructure at the quarterly meeting in Fall of 2010. Bond sales were finalized in early December and the architectural firm of Polk, Stanley and Wilcox was selected, and planning the facility began immediately.
The building contract was officially awarded to Noacon, Inc. from Fairfield Bay and they have already begun to prepare for constructing phase one of the new 10,500 square foot facility will include classrooms, nursing classroom/lab, lecture hall, student center, and a conference room. The parking lot construction, which is already underway, was awarded to Tri-Co, Inc. out of Horseshoe Bend.
A grand opening is tentatively set for Fall 2011 and naming opportunities are available for this project. Phase two of the expansion is an outdoor amphitheater which will be available to the community. Ozarka is seeking a combination of grant funding and community support for the amphitheatre at this time.
For more information about the opportunity to support Ozarka College through this building campaign in Stone County, contact Gin Brown at 870-269-5200 or Suellen Davidson, Director of Development at 870-368-7371.
