Lindsey: Byrne impressed with Centre campus

By Scott Wright

CENTRE — Dist. 39 Rep. Richard Lindsey, D-Centre, spoke exclusively with The Post last week in the days after new two-year college system Chancellor Bradley Byrne visited the county. Byrne was in Centre Aug. 29 to observe progress at the future site of Gadsden State Cherokee.

“Chancellor Byrne was very impressed with the construction,” Lindsey said via telephone from Montgomery Wednesday. “We felt it was important for him to see what we're building here and gain his support. We feel like we did that.”

Lindsey, who hosted a luncheon in Centre where Byrne was the featured guest, said he and Gadsden State President Renee Culverhouse also took advantage of the audience with Byrne to ask for state funding to bring a dean of nursing to the Centre campus.

“A dean of nursing will assure the Centre campus of a qualified nursing school,” Lindsey said. “Also, a dean can ensure that we have first-class teachers and a first-class curriculum and experienced people to train students who come to Centre looking to acquire a nursing degree.”

In response to a multitude of scandals in the two-year college system over the past several months, Byrne last week appealed to two-year college officials to refocus their efforts on the system's stated mission of workforce development, adult education and academic transfer. During his speech in Centre, Byrne, who was appointed this summer by Gov. Bob Riley, said he feels Gadsden State's efforts in Centre will more than meet those requirements.

“It will start here with that first building and with those nursing programs and general education programs,” Byrne said. “But if we will continue this level of partnership, I will guarantee you it will grow. Because this is one of those things that once you get started, success breeds success.”

Lindsey and Culverhouse also appealed to Byrne to provide state funding for an economic development officer to enhance the county's efforts to recruit industry to the area.

“The economic development person we hire will work with the county government and all the municipalities in Cherokee County, concentrating on that single project,” Lindsey said.

Lindsey said Byrne was also pleased with the status on the construction site, which Lindsey said has been a positive result of the county's lack of rainfall this summer.

“He was really impressed with the progress on Phase I, which is the academic building,” Lindsey said. “It's actually ahead of schedule, I understand, because of all the dry weather we've been having.”

Lindsey said Phase II of the project, the 2,000-seat sports arena, should begin going up soon.

“McCrory Construction has won the bid to build the arena and they are on-site. It should be finished sometime around the scheduled completion time of the academic building, which is fall of 2008,” Lindsey said.

Lindsey said he spoke with Byrne about the possibility of acquiring funding for the proposed Phase III of the Centre campus, a 500-seat, state-of-the-art theater, which was included in all the original drawings of the complex.

“We're still working on that,” Lindsey said. “There are other efforts underway in the state to try and bring film and other entertainment projects into Alabama, and hopefully we'll be able to partner with those efforts in the future to fund the theater.”