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November 28, 2017

Lord Fairfax breaks ground for science, tech building

Ruth Hazel Little recalls her late father’s commitment to education.

The crowd gathers in a tent at LFCC for Tuesday’s ceremony.

Community support helped secure state funding, Del. Michael Webert says.

LFCC Foundation Chairwoman Katy Reeves started as a student on the campus.

Hazel family members toss ceremonial shovels of dirt on the site.

Photos/Lawrence Emerson

Anxious for the groundbreaking, LFCC President Cheryl Thompson-Stacy tries the controls of a skid steer loader parked on the site. Dr. Thompson-Stacy will retire in February after nine years on the job.

Hazel Hall

• What: 40,000-square-foot, two-story building with classrooms, conference center and labs for science, technology, engineering, math and health.

• Where: Lord Fairfax Community College’s Fauquier Campus, 6480 College St., just south of Warrenton.

• Total cost: Estimated $20 million.

• Funding: $17 million from state. LFCC Foundation has raised $3 million for local share.

• Construction begins: Early 2018.

• Completion: Possibly fall 2019.

• Website: Click here.

By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Staff Journalist

After five years of planning and fundraising, Lord Fairfax Community College’s new $20 million health, science and technology building soon will begin to rise on the Fauquier campus.

Holding ceremonial silver shovels, college officials Tuesday afternoon broke ground for Hazel Hall, slated to open in fall 2019.

“We’ve been waiting for a long time to break ground on this building,” Provost Chris Coutts said. “To finally see it come to fruition is exciting.”

“The way we teach and the way we learn have changed so much,” Mr. Coutts said. “With the new building we will create an environment that simulates real life experiences for more valuable learning.”

Construction of the 40,000-square-foot Hazel Hall should begin early next year. The building will stand just south of “The Barn.”

The two-story building will house a conference center with seating for 275 people, nursing skills lab, science labs, engineering and fabrication labs, classrooms, a board room, faculty offices, study spaces and a lounge.

A new courtyard will connect the building to Wolk Hall, the Sowder Library and The Barn, where the Fauquier campus started in 1988.

The new building will be slightly smaller than Wolk Hall, which has 57,000 square feet.

Hazel Hall would allow the college to easily double enrollment, according to Mr. Coutts.

“Everything is education based,” said Ruth Hazel Little, whose family donated $1 million to the project. “It’s about growing the number of students in the right places. We need to have workers” in health, science and technology.

Growing the community college will create the opportunity for citizens to improve their lives, Del. Michael Webert (R-18th/Marshall) explained.

Grimm + Parker Architects designed the building. Kjellstrom and Lee Construction will be the general contractor.

Virginia’s General Assembly in 2016 approved a $2.1-billion bond package that includes $17 million for construction of the building.

But, the state does not cover the costs of site work for new construction at community colleges. The LFCC Foundation has raised $3 million for that portion of the project.

The local share includes a $250,000 donation from the Barkman family, owners of Golden Rule Builders in Catlett, and a $20,000 donation from Mr. Sowder, the most consistent supporter of the college.

Last February, the PATH Foundation gave $1 million. The Hazel family pledged $1 million toward the building in October 2013. The late William A. Hazel championed education, including work-based literacy classes for some of his excavation company’s employees, starting in the 1970s, his daughter noted in her remarks Tuesday.

Naming opportunities for three science labs and a faculty office suite remain.