Hundreds Celebrate Dedication of First Building on Hughesville Regional Campus
It was a celebratory gathering on a rainy day that marked the official opening of the College of Southern Maryland’s new Regional Hughesville Campus and the dedication and ribbon-cutting of its first building, the new Center for Trades and Energy Training (CTET). Located in the center of the tri-county region, CTET is the first building to open on that campus to meet Southern Maryland’s construction trades and energy training needs with the most up-to-date and accessible courses, programs and equipment.
“This $11-million building was the culmination of a dream and the hard work of so many people,” said CSM President Dr. Bradley Gottfried. “I am so incredibly excited about today.”
Hundreds of elected officials, business and community leaders and CSM employees participated in the dedication, touring the new building’s classrooms, administration area and labs and hearing remarks from county and state representatives and others connected with the funding and planning for the new 30,000-square-foot facility.
The new CTET, which started holding classes March 27, houses CSM’s trades training programs – HVAC, plumbing, electrical, welding and carpentry – which were moved from a much-smaller, leased facility in Waldorf. The center also serves as the new home for the Maryland Center for Environmental Training, which was moved from the La Plata Campus to continue its work providing environmental, safety and health training and compliance assistance for workers in the region and throughout the state. CTET also includes a multipurpose area that will be available at no cost for nonprofits in the community to reserve for meetings or conferences.
A current trades’ student and former CSM professor and department chair, Barbara Scotland of Hughesville, spoke at the event, attesting to the quality of the training she has received from CSM and expressing enthusiasm for what the new center says about CSM’s commitment to its trades programs.
“I am excited and proud to be able to attend courses at the new CTET. This facility, the equipping of its classrooms and labs, sends a clear message to the community of Southern Maryland. The message is that CSM is as invested in career training and personal enrichment as it is in innovative and accessible degree programs,” Scotland said. She also spoke of the rigor involved in attaining certifications in the trades professions and the years it takes to become a licensed journeyman.
Dr. Dan Mosser, CSM vice president of continuing education and workforce development, described the center as “Southern Maryland’s solution to the shortage of skilled workers.”
“There is no other facility like this anywhere among Maryland’s many colleges and universities that focuses entirely on the preparation of non-degree seeking students studying the trades and apprenticeships.” He and others emphasized the high demand in the workplace for skills taught in the trades programs.
The building was designed to reduce its impact on the environment and meet LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) criteria. Green features used in the new center’s construction include solar panels that generate enough energy to power all the lighting, recycled material in 20 percent of construction materials, all green cleaning products, high-efficiency heat pumps and LED lighting throughout the building.
Gottfried noted that the center was the sixth building constructed during his 11-year tenure as president of the college. But building the new center on a new campus included extra challenges compared with the others, such as dealing with infrastructure issues like sewer and water and meeting the requirements of a multitude of agencies. “I could definitely write a book on what it took to stand here today,” he said. “But it was worth it, because this building is a life-changer.”
Gottfried thanked those who assisted in the years-long process, including the college’s trustees and staff, the county commissioner boards from the tri-county area, the Hughesville Business and Civic Association for their support of the project, Les Gooding and others who helped purchase the campus’ 74-acre property, the Southern Maryland Legislative Delegation, the Charles County Department of Planning and many others. Grimm + Parker are the architects of the center and construction was completed by Scheibel Construction. The state provided 75 percent of CTET’s cost and Charles County provided 25 percent.
“This was a hard project to make happen,” said Sen. Mike Miller, noting that numerous legislators were involved in providing the necessary funds. “This college is alive and well … It is a blessing to all of us in Southern Maryland.”
Kelly M. Schulz, secretary for the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, spoke on behalf of Gov. Larry Hogan. Reading from a citation Schulz delivered from the governor, she noted the value of CTET in helping the region “fill gaps within our workforce.”
The county commission president from each of the Southern Maryland counties spoke at the event and brought a county flag to give to the new regional campus. Charles County Commission President Peter F. Murphy congratulated Gottfried for his persistence with the project. “This might sound trite,” Murphy said, “but this has the potential of changing lives.”
“This is a beautiful vision … This is a glorious day,” said St. Mary’s County Commission President James R. Guy.
Calvert County Commission President Thomas C. Hejl spoke to the value of the new center for the region. “This facility was absolutely needed,” he said.
“The impact of the College of Southern Maryland is far-reaching, beyond academics and training,” said CSM Board of Trustees Chair Dorothea Smith. “In fact, according to our most recent analysis by EMSI on the economic impact and value of the College of Southern Maryland, the statistics are staggering. They show that CSM plays a key role in helping students increase their employability and achieve their individual potential. The overall impact of CSM on the local business community during 2015-16 amounted to $303.8 million in added income and 5,320 jobs.
“I especially want to recognize Dr. Brad Gottfried as the president of the College of Southern Maryland for his vision and leadership in bring our college to this point in our history,” Smith said.
Joe Slater, president and CEO of SMECO, also congratulated CSM on its newest facility and announced a new partnership with the college is in the works. CSM is in the process of creating a pre-apprenticeship certificate program for those pursuing work as a lineman/linewoman. SMECO is helping to kick off the new program by funding two scholarships for the inaugural class. “This is a great celebration we get to participate in,” Slater said.
The center is Phase I of a five-phase plan for the Regional Hughesville Campus. Design funding for the next project, a Health and Sciences Building, has already been secured. Future plans also include a Fine Arts Center, athletic fields and field house. “All of these facilities have something in common – they are too expensive and too specialized to be replicated on more than one campus,” Gottfried said. “It makes sense to centralize them so all residents of Southern Maryland can have easier access to them.”
“What this campus will do is link us all together.”
Gottfried noted that area businesses have stepped forward to partner with CSM with the new center. The new welding lab is named after Exelon Generation, which owns Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby. Exelon Generation donated welding equipment for the new center. The center’s carpentry lab has been named for Calvert County-based Marrick Homes to honor its generous support of CSM’s Trades and Scholarship Program. The center’s lobby is named in honor of Community Bank of the Chesapeake. Additional building and room naming opportunities are available at the new Regional Hughesville Campus and at all CSM campuses. For more information, call the CSM Foundation at 301-934-7636.
The new Center for Trades and Energy Training is located on CSM’s Regional Hughesville Campus at 6170 Hughesville Station Place in Hughesville. The center will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every third Saturday of the month through December, and area residents are invited to visit and learn more about programs offered there. For information on the center, call 301-539-4730 or visit http://www.csmd.edu/about/locations/center-for-trades-and-energy-training/.
To view a gallery of photos from the dedication and ribbon cutting, visit http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/ctetdedicat.
Calendar
CSM Open House at Center for Trades and Energy Training. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., April 29 and every third Saturday of the month through December, College of Southern Maryland, Regional Hughesville Campus, Center for Trades and Energy Training (CT Building), 6170 Hughesville Station Place. Area residents are invited to visit CSM’s newest campus and learn more about programs offered there. Free. Call 301-539-4730 or visit http://www.csmd.edu/about/locations/center-for-trades-and-energy-training/.
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