ACC unveils Dillingham Center renovations

Alamance Community College officials recently hosted the county’s legislative delegation for a ribbon-cutting at the Dillingham Center in Burlington to celebrate the completion of renovations of the facility that were funded by a special one-time allocation of $500,000 in state funding included in North Carolina’s biennial budget.

The renovations at the Dillingham Center consisted of: fresh painting throughout the interior; exterior painting, pressure washing, and landscaping; a facelift for the reception desk; computer upgrades; and a refresh for the student lounge/café.  The renovations were completed in late July and early August, prior to the beginning of the fall semester on August 19, ACC officials have confirmed for The Alamance News.

Pictured at the ribbon-cutting center are, left to right: ACC trustees Ken Walker and Steve Carter; state representative Dennis Riddell (partially obscured); state senator Amy Galey; ACC president Dr. Ken Ingle; state representative Steve Ross; ACC trustee chairman Julie Emmons; ACC vice president of workforce and economic development Justin Snyder; and trustees Dr. Charles K. Scott and Dr. Roslyn Crisp. Trustees Blake Williams and Anthony Foriest are shown on back row.

ACC’s Dillingham Center opened in 2008 and currently houses the community college’s workforce development and continuing education programs (such as notary public certification and real estate licensure), as well as a small business center and some personal enrichment classes.  The Dillingham Center is located within the former Burlington Manufacturer’s Outlet Center off Chapel Hill Road.

A refresh for cosmetology lab at Dillingham Center.

Galey said in an earlier interview with The Alamance News that the county’s legislative delegation  had secured approximately $6.75 million in state funding for ACC as part of the biennial budget that the General Assembly adopted in September 2023.

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In addition to the $500,000 in state funding to renovate the Dillingham Center, those allocations included: $5.5 million for ACC’s Public Safety Training Center, under construction in Green Level; and $750,000 to establish a Advanced Technology (TECAT), in collaboration with the community colleges in Guilford and Randolph counties, to offer training in fields related to renewable energy.

The county’s legislative delegation also presented the community college with a $100,000 check in June that ACC officials said would be used to create a “one-stop-shop” to enhance student support services center at the Dillingham Center.

ACC’s trustees held the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Dillingham Center prior to their October meeting.

In other business, ACC officials also announced during their subsequent meeting on October 14 that trustee Mark Gordon had resigned from the board, effective that evening.

Alamance County’s commissioners initially appointed Gordon, who took over as president of Alamance Regional Medical Center in Burlington in 2020, to serve the remainder of former trustee Craig Thompson’s term in early 2022. The commissioners appointed Gordon to a full, four-year term on the trustee board later that year.  Gordon informed ACC officials last month that he was resigning because he had accepted a leadership role with an organization outside of Alamance County.

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