Event signals construction completion of first building on college’s Ridgefield campus
RIDGEFIELD – On Tuesday (Nov. 19), leading developer and design-builder Mortenson officially presented Clark College with the keys to the Advanced Manufacturing Center, the first building on the college’s Ridgefield campus, located at 7000 East Pioneer Street.
During the ceremony, nearly 100 attendees including the college mascot, Oswald the Penguin, looked on as Carolyn Sizemore, market director of Mortenson, and design-build partner, Kyle Womack, principal of Hennebery Eddy Architects, presented the symbolic key to Dr. Karin Edwards and Sabra Sand, the Clark College president and vice president of operations, respectively. The ceremony marked construction completion of the Advanced Manufacturing Center at Clark College.
“This milestone marks an incredible step forward for Clark College and the Ridgefield community,” said Dr. Edwards. “The Advanced Manufacturing Center will provide invaluable opportunities for students to develop critical skills in a growing field, allowing us to support the region’s workforce and expand educational access in north Clark County.”
Clark College will begin moving into the Advanced Manufacturing Center over the next few months and readying the space for classes to begin in 2025. General education classes will be held there in Spring 2025; five general education classrooms and one computer lab will accommodate a future capacity to serve up to 1,200 students per term. By Fall 2025, the complex will become the hub for the college’s advanced manufacturing program which is currently in development. When completed, the program will provide initial enrollment of 32 students in two cohorts of 16, with plans to eventually serve 48 students across three cohorts.
Located on a 10-acre property due east of the Ridgefield Junction, the 49,000 square foot Advanced Manufacturing Center features a vast open manufacturing floor, collaboration zones, satellite instructional facilities, classrooms, laboratories, offices and more. The 35,000 square feet dedicated to manufacturing training includes three industry-specific classrooms, four labs, five manufacturing cells and a vast open manufacturing floor. The remaining 14,000 square feet houses the five general education classrooms, along with faculty and student amenities.
Manufacturing and classroom spaces in the Advanced Manufacturing Center are designed for multiple delivery modes including lecture, collaborative, project-based learning, and hybrid models implementing online content and classroom application. The facility’s acoustic design ensures that unamplified voice communication will carry above ambient machine noise. The flexible design of the structure is envisioned to accommodate future growth and will serve students, Ridgefield and other north Clark County communities.
“As we celebrate completion of the Advanced Manufacturing Center, we are committed to delivering an education environment that fosters innovation, collaboration and workforce readiness,” added Dr. Edwards. “This world-class facility will be a hub of learning and industry-driven training for years to come.”
The LEED Silver certified Advanced Manufacturing Center meets state energy performance standards, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves operational efficiencies. The progressive design-build construction delivery method used on the building was spearheaded by Mortenson in collaboration with Henneberry Eddy Architects; this delivery method proved instrumental to the successful implementation of the use of prefabrication in this project and the resulting efficiencies.
Sizemore emphasized the project’s unique attributes.
“The Advanced Manufacturing Center is a stunning testament to what can be achieved when stakeholders come together with a shared vision,” said Sizemore. “Clark College envisioned a sustainable, future-ready facility adaptable for growth in the Ridgefield community. We are proud to deliver this anchor building on the Ridgefield campus and we are confident that it will exceed the aspirations of Clark College and the Ridgefield community.”
About Mortenson
Mortenson is a U.S.-based, top-20 builder, developer, and engineering services provider serving the commercial, institutional, and energy sectors. Mortenson’s expanding portfolio of integrated services helps its customers move their strategies forward, ensuring their investments result in high-performing assets. The result is a turnkey partner, fully invested in the business success of its customers. Founded in 1954, Mortenson has operations across the U.S. with offices in Chicago, Denver, Fargo, Iowa City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. For additional information, visit www.mortenson.com.
About Clark College
Founded in 1933 and celebrating its 90th year, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately three-quarters of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.
With its main campus located in Vancouver’s Central Park, Clark College serves over 8,000 students per term. Clark College is Southwest Washington’s largest public institution of higher education. The college currently offers classes at two satellite locations: Washington State University Vancouver campus and Columbia Tech Center in East Vancouver. Beginning Spring 2025, the college will offer classes at its 3rd location, Clark College at Boschma Farms, in Ridgefield, Wash.
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If Clark College is putting all the manufacturing labs (i.e., welding, machining, mechatronics, mechanics, et al) into one open space floor area, they are making an expensive mistake. I noticed the campus was touted as being for manufacturing specifically, but the very first building went to general education, not manufacturing. Smacks of mismanagement right out of the starting gate.
I suspect this comment will not be approved. MeWe was supposed to be a “free speech” platform. But, we will see.