dona ana community college to build new learning center

An educational center that is a part of the Dona Ana Community College system in the city of Anthony may soon see the construction of a new classroom and lab facility.

The Gadsden Center is located at 1700 E. Ohara Road, roughly 27 miles to the south of DACC’s main Las Cruces campus.

The center offers courses for freshmen and sophomores in technical, development, and general education, and works in conjunction with the Gadsden Independent School District.

Now, because Dona Ana County voters approved by 71 percent a new facilities bond, plans are in the works for the construction of a $3 million addition to the Gadsden Center.

That addition will measure around 15,800 square feet, housing two classrooms and two labs.

The voter-approved $16 million bond will also pay for the $3.9 million construction of a new building for DACC’s creative media technology program inside the Arrowhead Research Park in Las Cruces.

That new 15,300 square foot facility will house programs centered on computer animation, film, and digital video, among other disciplines.

Additional bond-funded projects include a $4 million IT upgrading at all of DACC’s campuses, as well as $1.4 million in facility security and safety enhancements on those same campuses.

Thanking voters for their overwhelming support of the new bond, Dona Ana Community College President  Monica Torres said the planned projects will make it possible for the school to “continue to offer a wide range of educational opportunities for citizens of our county.”

By Garry Boulard

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