PITTSBORO - "What a wonderful, historic day for Chatham County and for Central Carolina Community College!"

Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees Chairman Julian Philpott aptly expressed the joy that was apparent for so many in attendance on Wednesday, Aug. 22, for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new CCCC Chatham Health Sciences Center. The ceremony took place at the site of the new facility, which will be located at 75 Ballentrae Court, Pittsboro.

Construction for the Chatham Health Sciences Center, which is located in the Briar Chapel area of northern Chatham County, began this month. The 40,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed in August 2019.

"The Mission Statement of CCCC provides that -- Central Carolina Community College serves as a catalyst for individual, community and economic development by empowerment through accessible lifelong learning. This new facility will be a key component in helping fulfill CCCC's mission in Chatham County, our service area, and our state," said Philpott. "This Health Sciences Center will be a testament to the vision of the Chatham County Commissioners and CCCC to improve the quality of education, health care, employment opportunities, and life in general in Chatham County."

In his closing remarks, Philpott said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we all have dreams that our lives and those of our children and grandchildren will be better. Today, we are participating in having a dream become reality here in Chatham County! Thank you for being here to celebrate part of our dream!"

Diana Hales, Chair of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, said, "The county is very fortunate to have such a fine community college organization within our borders."

She talked about Chatham being a growing county. "One of the things that this Board of Commissioners did -- and we're extremely proud of -- is our comprehensive land-use plan that really looks at directing growth, where we grow in this county for the next 25 years. One of the things that's highly remarkable about that comprehensive plan is that it looks at health outcomes," she said.

"So we are very happy that this facility, that we're breaking ground for today, is in fact part of that comprehensive plan in terms of looking at a facility where people that are delivering those services can be trained."

Jim Crawford, a member of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners and the CCCC Board of Trustees, said, "Today, I am here as an educator and I could not be more proud of what we're accomplishing." He added, "This is the best of what we do and I just want to relish this moment and thank you, everyone involved, for what you did."

For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.