The Center for Energy Education at the old Halifax County Airport is expected to be operational by September and with it comes educational, tourism and recreational opportunities that have already been planned as construction continues.
Today government officials, educational leaders and media were given a tour at the airport site and a briefing on the progress and plans that have been confirmed.
“You can get a feel for what the building is like,” said the center's executive director, Pam Ballew, at the site off Highway 158 outside Roanoke Rapids.
The 5,000-square-feet building will include exhibit areas for both inside and outside; conference meeting space; classroom space and office spaces for lease.
Construction is under way.
Also included in the first phase will be a half-mile loop trail; a covered picnic area, an outdoor restroom facility and open green space.
The second phase, which board of directors member George Veit said would be completed upon finalization of grant funding, will include an outdoor training lab, natural walking trail, a natural play area with exhibits along the trail and a car-charging station.
The completion of the center, Ballew said, will offer an additional facility where functions be held.
Conceptual drawing
Veit said one of the main exhibits will tie the history of the old airport to its current use as a solar farm, relating that to the county's place in the solar industry as well as the state's place in the industry, “How it's growing and how it relates to renewable energy.”
The Halifax County Convention and Visitor's Bureau will be doing an exhibit about the other tourists sites in the area, including the center in its tourism marketing, Ballew said.
Two hangars at the airport have been deemed useable, Veit said, and the board is making a determination on whether the old airport office can be used in some way.
Back in Roanoke Rapids, where a briefing was held at the Visitor's Center off Premier Boulevard, Veit explained the center has already forged partnerships with Halifax Community College, and has a certified professor onboard. “There are 26 students that will be enrolled in the class. One of our biggest accomplishments we have is this has become possible because of the trust the county had in us and the trust from the community. We've had a lot of support from the economic development team. I hope we can give back some of this trust. We still have a vision in this happening in Halifax County and having this become a center for the East Coast.”
Ballew leads the tour.
The vision for the center is broad, Ballew said, from having industry-related classes and even outdoor yoga classes.
A partnership has been been formed with North Carolina State University to include solar education in the eighth grade science curriculum. “It gives teachers a great experience for another opportunity,” she said. “We're really excited about it.”
HCC President Ervin Griffin Sr. said a grant the college is seeking would allow for a second professor for the solar program and would allow students to build a system on campus as well as send students into high schools.
“We're excited to have this as a new destination,” said Lori Medlin of the HCVB.
Monica Smith-Woofter, superintendent of the Northampton County School System, said, “I'm very excited about providing real world connection for our students. We need to understand the global aspects and how it's connected to career aspects.”