The Banner News / banner-news.com
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Thursday, August 29, 2019
Do you have dry, uncomfortable eyes? If so, you’re not alone. Dr. Nancy Cline and Dr. Patrick Vollmer are working to find new treatments for dry eye disease and will be conducting a new eye drop research study starting soon. The study involves 6 visits over the course of 10 weeks and you may be compensated up to $950 for your time.
Learn more today by calling 866-393-3767 or visit myeyestudy.com! Study Location: Vita Eye Clinic | 222 N. Lafayette Street, Suite 12 | Shelby, NC 28150 • Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Gaston County’s FREE! Volume 85 • Issue 35 Thursday, August 29, 2019
Good news for great people!
Belmont Abbey College to build new residence hall for Fall 2020 Soon Belmont Abbey College will break ground on the newest addition to its campus, a 136-room residence hall. The largest capital investment in the college’s history, the new hall will primarily serve upperclassmen but also add new classroom, office, and meeting space. MKC Architects designed the new building to mirror the Gothic architecture prominent on the college’s campus. University Housing Solutions is the contractor building the new facility. “Each year we ask approximately 100 students to move off-campus and ask many more students to reside with more roommates than is ideal for our vision of student success,” said Allan Mark, Executive Vice President for Administration, Finance, and Operations. “The new halls will provide the College with the ability to accommodate all students who want to live on campus and allow them to take full advantage of life at the Abbey.” The City of Belmont, their planning, and their zoning departments have all
TechWorks executive director Terry Cox and Tim Owens with FacilityReserve enjoying a moment at one of the work stations. Photo by Alan Hodge
TechWorks Gaston set to transform our region By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
MKC Architects rendering approved the structure and at this time only additional permitting remains before construction can begin. The plans include additional parking for residents of the new hall. The as of yet unnamed new residence hall will be situated across from the softball field. The college has plans for a duplicate residence in the near future adjacent to the new dorm. In addition to these new accommodations, the college is also considering additional food service options for 2020 and beyond. The structure will be five stories, with the first story having meeting areas, social areas, offices, two classrooms, and a student lounge available to all students,
including commuters. The upper floors will alternate between a men’s and women’s floor. Each residence floor will have a kitchenette, study areas, a laundry area, and a gathering area on each side. For security, the upper floors will only be accessible via the elevator and the stairwell via the student’s magnetic ID that will permit them to their floor. “The new residence hall answers a need we’ve had for several years,” said Tom MacAlester, Dean of Student Life, “When students live on campus, they have a more enjoyable and more successful college career. We look forward to having greater capacity on our campus, and giving See ABBEY, Page 2
Few places in our area illustrates the past, present, and future of local business and technology as vividly as TechWorks of Gaston County. Ironically located in a former cotton mill at 52A Ervin St. in Belmont, TechWorks is a pioneering nonprofit that opened last April and aims to be the tip of the spear in bringing state of the art information technology and business networking to Gaston County. Terry Cox is executive director of Gaston Innovation Group, the organization that launched TechWorks in 2016. “TechWorks is an entrepreneurial tech hub for the region focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, tech education and training, and advocacy for high speed internet for all,” Cox said. “TechWorks is a game changer for the county and will bring in-demand jobs
and new opportunities creating economic growth for the county.” TechWorks had a lot of help getting off the ground. According to Cox, the NC Dept. of Commerce chipped in $1 million, Gaston County added $1million, and the City of Belmont put in $200,000. Other help came from the David Belk Cannon Foundation, the Glenn Foundation, National Mills LLC, the Stowe Foundation, Alliance Bank, Duke Energy, Charlotte SIM, and the Greater Gaston Development Corp. “TechWorks is a great representation of a public/ private partnership,” said Cox. “It’s the only one of its kind in North Carolina.” Highlighting the uniqueness of TechWorks is the physical space itself. The outside of the building is ordinary red brick from its textile days, but go inside and be prepared to be amazed. The TechWorks interior space was created by Redline Design of Charlotte and blends cool stainless
steel and glass with original hardwood floors and other hints of cotton mill days. The 14,000 sq. ft interior is light and airy and features work rooms, meeting space, a lunchroom, open desk space, and quiet cubicles. Out back, there’s an expansive deck. Firms or folks can rent as much or as little space as they need and it comes with gigabit fiber and state of the art AV connections. “TechWorks provides a place a place for leaders, entrepreneurs, and students to collaborate, writing Gaston’s next chapter together as it leads the region forward in creating an entrepreneurial tech hub,” said Cox. There’s more. TechWorks also offers leading certification programs as both a Certiport and Pearson VUE Authorized Testing Center, the first testing center in Gaston County. “TechWorks will develop a new generation of diverse tech leaders,” said Cox. See TECHWORKS, Page 2