HOLLY HILL, S.C. — Residents in the southern part of Orangeburg County will no longer have to drive far for higher education.
Holly Hill hosted a groundbreaking for a new Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College satellite campus Monday afternoon.
The renovation is expected to cost $2.2 million dollars, turning the second floor of the old Holly Hill Middle School into the new 13,000 square foot satellite campus.
Dr. Walton Tobin is the president of OC Tech. He says this new campus provides options for those who live in rural Orangeburg.
“Our commitment is to serve the residents of Orangeburg and Calhoun county and the fact that this site is somewhere around 35 minutes away from Orangeburg our main campus," said Dr. Tobin. "It creates access for students who live in this area who otherwise may not get to our main campus.”
Johnnie Wright Sr. is Orangeburg County Council's Chair. He says he hopes residents in Orangeburg County will put this new facility to good use.
“There’s a lot of money being spent, a lot of sacrifices, that you know the team is working to try to make things better but when it gets there they need to utilize it," said Wright. "That’s important because in a need to try and put all these monies and putting things in place to try and train people, and have better services and they don’t use it because then somebody will say that’s a waste of tax payers money so whatever is put here I want citizens to know that they should utilize it, its very important and I am just very excited.”
Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young says the size and travel time of Orangeburg County plays a big role in why students are not able to attend schools on the other side of the county.
"Orangeburg County is eleven hundred square miles it can take you an hour to get to Orangeburg from Holly Hill, the transportation problem is why some of these kids don't take advantage of the educational opportunities that is afforded to them."
Tobin says the facility is needed for the growth in the southern part of the county.
“We’re really just excited to expand our footprint in this part of Orangeburg County with the development that’s happening in the Low Country,” said Dr. Tobin. “I think it positions the college and this community to thrive.”
Wright says Orangeburg County is the ideal location for the booming population and businesses coming from Charleston.
“You know they cant go into the ocean,” said Wright. “So they gotta come this way so we gotta try to be proactive as much as we can to see that we can plan smart growth in the end of the county.”
OC Tech’s satellite campus in Holly Hill is expected to welcome students in Fall of 2025.