If you haven’t passed by Kenai Peninsula College’s Kenai River Campus recently, it’s worth taking a drive through campus. Construction is moving along on buildings for student housing and a new Career and Technical Center.

Seeing a capital project come to fruition is exciting in and of itself — it’s been a long process to plan and secure funding for growth at KPC. The two buildings are being constructed at a total cost of $32.3 million, and a big project means good jobs for our local workforce.

We’re just as excited to see the growth of our local college. The Career and Technical Center will house the school’s process technology, instrumentation and computer electronics programs, which are currently bursting at the seams. That frees up space in other buildings for the rest of KPC’s programs to grow — which is crucial as enrollment at the school continues to boom.

Student housing set to open for next fall is part of that growth, as KPC grows from a local community college to a regional education center.

We’re excited to see the commitment to continuing education being made in our community. It’s an investment that will pay big dividends in the future.