PORT TOWNSEND — Peninsula College will host a grand opening Monday to welcome the public to its new Port Townsend campus.
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the public and Peninsula College students and staff are invited to join the board of trustees for a brief ceremony behind the newly remodeled building at 202 Eisenhower Ave. in Fort Worden State Park, followed by light refreshments in the lobby and and the opportunity to view the new facility.
Planned since 2011 but not funded until 2014, the 14,000-square-foot space in Building 202 at Fort Worden is now the first permanent location for the college in Jefferson County.
Before this, the college had held classes in locations around Port Townsend, from the Waterman & Katz Building downtown to the Fort Worden schoolhouse.
The $6 million-plus project broke ground last year and was completed in partnership with the city of Port Townsend and the Fort Worden Public Development Authority.
While the exterior of the school matches the rest of the historic buildings along Fort Worden’s Eisenhower Avenue, the interior has been remodeled to accommodate the college.
The two-story building, built in 1904 and remodeled in the 1960s, now includes four general classrooms, a science classroom, studio/art room, learning lab, workforce training room, student study space, reception and advising areas, and faculty offices, according to the college.
The campus will offer two-year degree programs, credit and non-credit classes, on-site student services and advising, and a learning center and computer lab, as well as community enrichment activities, including free lectures open to the public.
The space’s most recent use before Peninsula College came in was as dormitory-style housing for visitors to the state park in 2012.
Changes to the building also can be seen at blog.pencol.edu/fort-worden-building-202.
For more information, contact Kelly Griffith at kgriffith@pencol.edu or 360-417-6201, or visit http://pencol.edu/locations/port-townsend.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
