Alpena Community College invests in skilled trades

Aug 2, 2023

News Photo by Temi FadayomiThe Alpena Community College Board of Trustees holds a special meeting on Monday at the college.

ALPENA — During a special meeting on Monday, the Alpena Community College Board of Trustees approved a bid for four pieces of equipment that will be utilized in new welding and manufacturing buildings for the college’s Center of Manufacturing Excellence.

The equipment includes multiple welding machines and multiple computerized numerical control, or CNC machines. The college received a $2.4 million Public Works grant from the United States Department of Commerce, Economic Development Agency Public Works Program, and a Michigan New Jobs Training Program grant which was secured for the college by Besser Co. and $250,000 of the $500,000 grant can be used for the equipment.

It is unknown how the balance of the money will be used.

The welding machines will be provided by Airgas-Alpena for $84,325. Two CNC machines — one with a robot — will come from Gerotech, located in Flat Rock, for $185,511. Another CNC machine will come from Messer Cutting Systems in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin for $103,917.

With ACC still aiming to have the project ready by the start of the upcoming school year, ACC President Don MacMaster believes that the project is still on schedule but he does have plans in place if certain components aren’t ready by the time that the school year starts.

“I think we’ll make it,” MacMaster said. “If the labs aren’t done, though, we have strategies for that.”

The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees on Monday also:

∫ agreed to the mortgage for the $2.4 million Public Work grant awarded by the United States Department of Commerce, Economic Development Agency, for the Center of Manufacturing Excellence Project.

In agreeing to the mortgage, ACC is only allowed to use the property (the welding and manufacturing buildings) for the purposes mentioned in its application (education) for at least 20 years after the project’s completion.

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