Despite the gloomy weather, spirits of local officials and community members were high as the first shovels of dirt were turned at the new site for the Henry County campus of Southern Crescent Technical College.

The two-story, 35,000-square-foot, multimillion dollar building is the culmination of years worth of effort put forth by local leaders from the private and public sector, including elected officials at both the local and state level, the chamber of commerce, the county school system and the business community.

“You guys have been simply outstanding. No president could ever ask for better support,” Southern Crescent Technical College President Randall Peters said at the groundbreaking the morning of Jan.10.

Peters was one of many to laud the county’s effort in finding land for the development, securing funds for the building and lobbying for Henry County to be a site for a college campus.

“The year and a half it takes to build a large building is nothing compared to what comes beforehand,” said Michael Brewer, chair of the college’s board of directors. “You have really completed the largest part of this process. The building is the easy part.”

The building that will be constructed is the first of a planned eight. It will have the capacity to offer classes in CT/MRI technology, network technology, business management, and criminal justice, as well as having science labs, computer classroom, four general classrooms, a one-stop registration suite and house administration.

It will be just east of Henry County High School, built on land donated by the Henry County Board of Education. The funding comes partially from the college — $2.5 million — whereas the rest was secured through state funds — approximately $6 million.

Ron Jackson, Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner, said it is no easy feat bringing a technical school to a new county.

“It’s a competition in the highest order — 159 counties in Georgia all want a technical college,” he said. “I’ve never seen more enthusiasm and pure, absolute commitment to make this building happen from every aspect of the community.”

The building has an anticipated completion date of 2014, with enrollment slated for spring 2014.