Construction of the $198 million Gateway Community College in downtown New Haven moved one step closer Friday as the state official took possession of the former Malley’s and Macy’s sites for $1.
Scores of local, regional and state dignitaries witnessed the half-hour ceremony in the library at the present Gateway site on Sargent Drive as Mayor John DeStefano Jr., and Gov. M. Jodi Rell exchanged documents and pleasantries. They both agreed that community colleges in general and Gateway Community College in particular are a catalyst for economic stability, especially in difficult times.
DeStefano pointed out that the state actually forked over $13 million for the 3.7‑acre site that he said was “worth about $8 million.”
Both DeStefano and Rell praised the work of Gateway President Dorsey L. Kendrick in making sure this project went forward and for assuring that Gateway students have the best courses and facilities. “Dorsey, you have given persistence a new meaning,” DeStafano said to Kendrick. No other dignitary spoke.
After the ceremony, Kendrick said Gateway has moved from fourth-largest to second- largest in the community college system, with 6,500 students. She said about 30 percent go on to four-year colleges immediately after graduation from the two-year program; eventually, many more do.
The nursing program currently has 96 students currently enrolled, while courses in other health fields such as fitness and wellness are being given. Courses are also available in fields in which there are jobs available, such as installation of solar panels and systems and other building programs.
Both DeStefano and Rell, shown speaking to students before the ceremony, said the community colleges are a place for interaction between the academic and business communities so students can be prepared for jobs that are available and courses can be designed for real-world situations.
State Department of Public Works Commissioner Raeanne Curtis, whose department is overseeing the construction, said building will start this fall. Completion is scheduled for September of 2012. The building “will be on time and at budget,” the governor said, smiling at Curtis.
Among those attending were Assistant Chancellor MaryAnne Cox of the community college system and Murali Atluru of the community college Board of Trustees.
The building on Sargent Drive will be empty when the new building opens in 2012. One possible future use: moving Gateway’s automotive division there. Under current plans the division would stay in North Haven. Kendrick said there has not been any decision or even serious discussion on the subject, but she said she is “always looking at what is cost-effective and best for the students.”
One former student, Newhallville Alderwoman Katrina Jones, said she was “very excited that this day has come. It was a long time coming.” Jones, a 2003 general studies graduate, attended the ceremony, along with Alderwoman Frances “Bitsie” Clark, in whose district the new Gateway will stand.
Count me as a supporter for Gateway's move downtown . but I -DO- hope that the automotive program remains in North Haven and that tax-paying use is given priority for redevelopment of the existing Gateway site. It's location between the highway and IKEA makes it perfect for expanded commercial, retail or office use. Hopefully the city will be pressing on Dr. Kendrick and the state for this.