SANFORD -- Lee County voters have given their approval to all four Central Carolina Community College bonds that were on the November ballot.

"We are grateful to the Lee County citizens for their tremendous support of the college over the years," said CCCC Board of Trustees Chairman Julian Philpott. "We thank you for your vote in support of the bonds that will benefit our students and our citizens for many years in the future."

The bonds include four measures:

• Ballot Measure 1: Construction of the Lee Health Sciences Center. Programs offered at the center will allow for the expansion of the following health careers -- Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assisting, Optometric Assistant, Phlebotomy Technician, Pharmacy Technician, Associate Degree Nursing, and Sleep Disorders Technician. The center will house industrial training and WIA administrative services. Total projected cost is $9 million.
• Ballot Measure 2: Expansion and renovation of the Veterinary Medical Technology facility. This project involves the renovation of 4,075 square feet of space and the addition of 12,934 square feet of space to meet the requirements of the accrediting agency. The addition and renovation project will allow CCCC to expand the program from 64 first-year students to 100 first-year students, as the program has averaged 445 applicants during the past three years. Total project cost is $5 million.
• Ballot Measure 3: Renovation and expansion of the Emergency Services Training Center and the Lee County Campus. Renovations/expansions at the Emergency Services Training Center will include an indoor physical training area with shower and locker room facilities, non-lethal ammunition firearms training areas, installation of a security chain link fence around the area, and improvements to the driving track. Projects on the Lee County Campus include critically needed expansion of the welding program area, additions/renovations to the Student Center, and a new roof to replace the original roof on Joyner Hall. Total projected cost is $4 million.
• Ballot Measure 4: New construction and renovation at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center and renovation of the Small Business Incubator. The civic center, which opened in 1991, is the primary facility for performances, festivals, meetings, trade shows, etc. in Lee County. The facility has had a positive economic impact on the county of more than $700,000 each year. The civic center currently must compete with newer, bigger facilities. The expansion and modernization of the civic center will include a 14,500-square-foot wing with "break-out" meeting rooms, new teaching kitchen and renovation of the current kitchen for use by caterers, renovation to make the current space more flexible and functional, addition of features such as video conferencing and a modern sound system, and renovation of restrooms to bring them up to newest code requirements.
  
  The college plans to renovate the property at 128-134 S. Steele St. in Sanford, generously donated by Dr. Paul O. Howard and Dr. Barbara E. James, for use as a Small Business Incubator. The Incubator is expected to become an economic hub in downtown Sanford. Total projected cost is $5 million.

"It's important to note that if all of the construction projects were to begin immediately, the tax burden on the average Lee County homeowner would be about 3 cents on the dollar or less than $40 a year for the average homeowner," said CCCC President T.E. "Bud" Marchant. "However, the CCCC trustees are committed to working with our county commissioners to strategically spread out the construction over a five- to seven-year period. We are hopeful that this will keep any tax increase at a minimum."