(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s new Construction Technologies Center opened to students on Monday, Feb. 2, at the Waco campus.
“It feels good,” said Michael Schumacher, TSTC’s senior construction project manager. “It is nice to see students here, sitting on the furniture and hanging out in the labs.”
The 120,000-square-foot structure is home to the Building Construction, Electrical Construction, HVAC, Plumbing and Pipefitting and Solar Energy programs. All of the programs were in separate buildings on campus before being moved together.
Zachary Miller, of Fairfield, is in his second semester in the Plumbing and Pipefitting program. He said he considers plumbing like a game of Legos in precisely following plans to solve problems. Miller said he enjoys the mathematics aspect of his plumbing lessons.
Miller got his first look at the finished building on Monday.
“I love everything about it,” he said. “Everything is bigger, better and there is more of it. I think they (TSTC) are truly investing in the future workforce and care about the future of our country.”
Elian Garcia, of Ennis, is in his third semester in the Building Construction program. He said he looks forward to working with new roofing and stair apparatuses planned for the lab.
“I feel comfortable,” Garcia said. “I just like the atmosphere (in the building.) I love the windows.”
For Erik Navarro, of Temple, Monday marked not only his first day in the new building, but also his first as an Electrical Construction student at TSTC. Navarro said he felt compelled to pursue electrical construction because he knows others working in the field.
“Getting into a new routine and learning new things every day is what I am excited about,” he said.
Some of the building’s features include backlighting, glass-in labs and a shaded outdoor work area. There are student lounge areas, faculty and staff offices, and meeting space in the two-floor structure. Additional parking is planned for the building.
A ribbon-cutting event is scheduled for Thursday, March 26.
“I’m proud of the building,” Schumacher said. “It’s a special facility for TSTC.”
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.