June 22, 2016 – Paul Morden, The Observer – It was another ceremony down Wednesday, and another step closer to the start of construction on a more than $40-million expansion at Lambton College.
Donors, supporters and staff at the college gathered at its Sarnia campus Wednesday morning for speeches and an official ground-breaking (using the same shovel that broke ground on the college more than 40 years ago) for the Nova Chemicals Health and Research Centre and an Athletics and Fitness Complex.
College president Judith Morris said it’s in the final stages of selecting a contractor for the building project scheduled to begin in September.
Construction of the health and research centre’s 60,000 square feet of health simulation labs, interactive learning studios and research space, along with a 40,000-square-foot athletes’ centre with a new double gym and fitness studios, is scheduled to be finished by fall 2018.
“This has taken so long, but it has been worth it,” college president Judith Morris told the crowd that spilled out of a tent set up on the college lawn.
Lambton has been submitting expansion proposals to the provincial government for approximately eight years, Morris said.
The latest plan moved ahead when it attracted $10 million each from the provincial and federal governments, after Lambton County pledged $5 million.
Morris said the county’s “powerful signal of local support” was critical to attracting the rest of the government funding.
She thanked Pat Davidson, the former Sarnia-Lambton MP, for her help securing the joint federal and provincial infrastructure funding.
“You were, absolutely, the person we needed on our side,” Morris said.
Davidson, who retired at the call of the last federal election, attended Wednesday’s ceremony.
“It’s a wonderful day,” Davidson said. “This means so much to the whole community.”
Also thanked Wednesday was Nova Chemicals for its $2-million donation to the health and research centre, and other donors.
“This campaign has always been bigger than Lambton College,” Morris said.
But, Andy Brandt, chairperson of the college foundation, told the crowd the fund-raising isn’t finished yet since another $11.7 million is needed to meet the goal of the $45-million Envision Tomorrow Capital Campaign launched one year ago.
“We need the support of the total community to make this campaign a success,” he said.
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