RCC acquires land in Scotland County for trucking program

CORRECTION: The initial version of this article incorrectly stated that RCC employees making more than $75,000 would be receiving a $1,000 bonus and that those making under that amount would receive only a $500 bonus. In fact, all RCC full-time employees will be getting a $1,000 bonus, and those who make less than $75,000 will receive an additional $500. The article has been updated to reflect this.

HAMLET — Richmond Community College has acquired land adjacent to the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport in Scotland County to provide space for the college’s truck driver training program.

President Dr. Dale McInnis said the college worked with Scotland County Economic Development Director Mark Ward to identify a location for the program, which has been a “goal” for the college.

“We visited out there to take a look at it,” McInnis said. “We needed the space to be able to house a driving range and fenced-in space to contain the vehicles and trailers.”

RCC has previously partnered with Caldwell Community and Technical College to offer a 10-week truck driver training class since 2015. There’s been a total of 79 graduates during that time.

The land acquired by the college, totaling 5.9 acres, was previously foreclosed on by Scotland County. In order to acquire the property, a land-swap between the South Eastern Regional Airport Authority Airport and County administration was negotiated, according to McInnis.

This transaction was approved by the Scotland County Board of Commissioners last week. McInnis thanked Whit Gibson, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners and a member of the RCC Board of Trustees, for his assistance. Gibson recused himself from the unanimous vote of approval at the Trustees meeting on Tuesday.

McInnis said that all of the property involved in the transaction still needs to be appraised and surveyed and that this deal will be closed with Board approval in the spring.

RCC is advertising for an architect to make design improvements on the property, as well as a course instructor for the program. Previously, the maximum cap size for the class was 13 students. It’s expected that for this new program, RCC can hold up to 24 students.

Cole Auditorium sees dwindling attendance

McInnis called this year a “challenging year for performances” at the Robert L. and Elizabeth S. Cole Auditorium and Community Center. Many events were rescheduled and postponed due to COVID-19. There was a decrease in the amount of touring acts that were available to perform, so options were limited.

“We have had low attendance at almost all the events,” McInnis said. “Normally, right now, this would be a time where we would be pursuing acts for next year and beginning to start locking down next year’s season. This may be a prudent time, and we’ll discuss this more in February, to take a break and circle back on sponsorships and packages, and performances.

McInnis said that the remaining shows for the winter and spring season will be evaluated.

“We may be taking a pause on this so that we can come up with an effective plan and see what the year to come holds,” he concluded, adding that there would be more defined recommendations at their February meeting.

RCC Employees receive bonus

With the recent passing of the state budget, which included $7,526,958 for RCC, all full-time RCC employees will be receiving a bonus of $1,000. Those making under $75,000 will be receiving an additional $500 bonus.

McInnis said that the state budget is still undergoing some “technical corrections,” but that they expect a salary increase of 2.5% across their staff.

For state-funded community colleges, a minimum salary for all employees for the 2021-22 academic year is $13 per hour. That salary is bumped to $15 for 2022-23.