BCCC Awards Construction of Emergency Driving Pad to B.E. Singleton & Sons | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    WASHINGTON, N.C.     Beaufort County Community College will soon start construction on one of the largest driving pads in North Carolina. The BCCC Board of Trustees awarded construction of the bond-funded project to B.E. Singleton & Sons. BCCC will use the emergency vehicle driver training pad, part of its Emergency Training and Workforce Complex, to train emergency medical personnel, firefighters and law enforcement officers earning certifications at the college, as well as from across the state.

    BCCC initially proposed the emergency vehicle driving pad as part of the Connect NC bond referendum in 2016. Voters across the state passed the bond to support community colleges, universities and state parks. BCCC has used part of its share of bond funds to upgrade sidewalks, doors, and crosswalks around campus to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The driving pad is the largest of the projects that were proposed for bond funding.

    The 500' x 600' concrete pad will have a 400' x 40' pursuit lane and stadium lighting to enable nighttime training. The project includes a stormwater retention pond and will be built on a cotton field on the east side of the BCCC campus between Building 12 and the fire training facility.

    Currently BCCC law enforcement students drive to facilities hours away for vehicle training. The college hopes to attract law enforcement, fire, and EMT agencies and from across the region to use the pad. EMTs and paramedics must train not only to drive ambulances, but to perform medical procedures while the vehicle is moving.

    "This driving pad is really the focal point for us," said Jason Squires, director of campus operations. "Rising construction costs have meant that we have had to vary some of our other planned projects, but we have stayed focused on building the driving pad as planned."

    B.E. Singleton & Sons came in with the lowest bid at $2,641,365, beating out four other competitors. The bid came in $600,000 lower than the college had anticipated. The college hopes to move forward with construction by late spring and to wrap up by fall of 2019. The project was designed by Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects of Gastonia, North Carolina.

    B. E. Singleton and Sons, Inc. is a full-service, turnkey site contractor located in Washington, and focused on projects in Eastern North Carolina. They specialize in demolition, grading, storm drainage, water & sewer, erosion control, and concrete and asphalt paving.

    "We're excited to have a local company like B.E. Singleton & Sons help us build this emergency vehicle driver training pad," said Dr. Dave Loope, BCCC president. "It's going to put us on the map for EMT, fire and law enforcement training. The people of North Carolina were generous in giving the community colleges the resources they needed to train local residents, and we hope to deliver a facility that they will be proud of."

    The college hopes to use the savings from the driving pad project toward a set of classrooms that will accompany the driving pad. This portion of the Emergency Training and Workforce Complex is still in the design phase.

• Contact: Attila Nemecz
•     Attila.Nemecz@beaufortccc.edu