Laramie County Community College (LCCC) cut the ribbon on its new Flex Tech building Tuesday afternoon.

The two-story facility is roughly 46,000 square feet and cost approximately $16 million to construct.

"Many of you have heard me comment that these buildings, while impressive, are not the focus," said LCCC President Dr. Joe Schaffer. "They are tools we have that help us do what is important, the education and training occurring within the walls."

Schaffer says the building will be home to a variety of technical programs including diesel technology, welding, engineering technology and construction management.

"One of the things that I like most about this is what it does to really showcase and make the trades cool again," said Schaffer.

"The trades aren't like they were 20-30 years ago," added Schaffer.  "Today the technology and the career opportunities combined make them one of the most engaging and interesting career options, in my mind, and this building helps us kind of bring that back to life."

Funding for the building was made possible through a bond election in 2013 and funding from the Legislature. The money is also being used to construct the new Student Services building which is scheduled to open in January.

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