Portions of Ogeechee Technical College's oldest building will soon get a new look.
Administrators are planning approximately $2.9 million in renovations to the Joseph E. Kennedy Building, which sits at the head of the school's main campus on U.S. Highway 301 South.
The nearly 24-year-old structure serves as the hub of all activities at OTC and features classrooms, faculty offices, an auditorium, bookstore and dining area.
Georgia legislators agreed to set aside money for the project in the recently approved fiscal 2014 budget.
"The local legislative delegation has done a great job for us in helping gain these funds. This will give us what we need to stay on the cutting edge of education," said Barry Turner, the vice president for college advancement at Ogeechee Tech. "By working hard and taking care of us as a college, (legislators) are taking care of students and citizens of this region."
The government funding will help renovate the college's auditorium, expand and improve the bookstore/student center and revamp a Student Affairs Center sometime next year.
"The areas will be designed and improved to better serve the students in a more comfortable way," Turner said.
Upgrades to the auditorium, which is relatively unchanged since it was first built, will include a new roof, ceiling, and air and ventilation systems. Crews will also add new seating, replace the flooring, and make several cosmetic changes.
"There will definitely be a more plush and updated/revitalized environment," said Jeff Davis, the vice president of technology and institutional support at OTC. "It will be more collegiate in nature."
The Student Affairs Center, currently home to admissions, financial aid and counseling offices - among others - will be remodeled to include additional office space.
Flooring, ductwork, and electrical infrastructure will receive upgrades.
In the campus bookstore, workers will build a small kitchen and dining area. Currently, food is served in the bookstore but has to be prepared in, and moved from, a secondary location, Davis said.
The bookstore/dining area will also be expanded by enclosing an outdoor patio area, and receive infrastructural improvements similar to those in other parts of the building.
Overall, "this will be a drastic improvement for the building," Turner said.
Planning and contracting stages of the project will take several months, with demolition beginning in January, Davis said.
Students will likely notice construction but feel only a minor impact.
"There will never be a point where any services at the college are discontinued," Davis said. "We will only have to move some students, faculty and services around to different places, temporarily."
Jeff Harrison may be reached at (912) 489-9454.