Dare County and College of The Albemarle (COA) held a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2020, for the new academic building that will be built on the community college’s Dare County campus in Manteo.
The 36,000-square-foot, two-story modern facility—which will be constructed at 205 U.S. Highway 64—will serve as flex space that can adapt to meet the changing programming needs of current and future COA students.
“Dare County has always placed an importance on the education of its students—and nowhere is this more evident than our investment in this new campus and the state-of-the-art facility that will be constructed on this site,” said Bob Woodard, Chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners. “The opening of this two-story, 36,000-square-foot facility will allow us to continue our community’s tradition of providing top-notch educational services to Dare County students at this site. Perhaps most importantly, it will allow those seeking a higher education to receive one right here at home in Dare County.”
The groundbreaking ceremony began with an introduction from COA President Dr. Jack Bagwell, which were then followed by an invocation led by COA Board of Trustees Chair Patti Kersey and remarks from Chairman Woodard.
The cutting-edge facility was designed by Raleigh-based architectural firm Boomerang Design, and construction services are being provided by Barnhill Contracting Company out of Rocky Mount.
Construction of the new facility is slated to begin in early 2021, with an expected completion date in February 2022. COA is currently scheduled to begin offering programs to students at the new academic building for the fall semester of 2022.
“I am thankful for the ongoing partnership between Dare County and College of The Albemarle,” said Chairman Woodard. “And I look forward to seeing the many exciting opportunities this new facility will provide once its doors officially open to the students in early 2022.”
