It's now official: the final planned installment of Hanford's Joint Educational Center is under way. More than 100 local leaders gathered Monday afternoon to commemorate the start of construction on the College of the Sequoias Hanford College Center, just yards away from the in-progress Sierra Pacific High School. And the day's thick fog could not muddle the excitement in the atmosphere.

Bill Scroggins, president of COS, welcomed attendees to the groundbreaking ceremony and commended the community, because the college center is a 100 percent locally funded facility.

"What it took to get here was not a small undertaking," Scroggins said.

He introduced a few of the people who helped the $22 million bond Measure C to pass, including Sue Sorenson, Mike Robinson and Neil Williams.

Robinson thanked community residents for their support of Measure C and the COS Hanford College Center.

"This is going to change Hanford and Kings County and it's going to be phenomenal," Robinson said.

John Zumwalt, COS board president, echoed Robinson and added that "no city has a bright future without a community college."

Zumwalt reflected back to the project's conception in 1996 and '97, when he and Kevin Jenkins sat on the back of a truck and discussed the idea of a facility combining high school and college. Jenkins said after the ceremony that seeing Hanford change from a place referred to as "podunk" to a place with these in-progress educational facilities gave him goosebumps.

"It's inspiring to live here," Jenkins said. "To see this come out of the ground -- it's more than exciting."

Zumwalt said he wasn't convinced the original idea could become a reality until then Rep. Jim Costa got behind it and worked with state Sen. Dean Florez to obtain a grant from the state for $300,000, to get preliminary studies under way.

Zumwalt thanked Jan Reynolds, former Hanford city manager, crediting him with having the "expertise of how to get things established and built."

Reynolds said after the ceremony that he was excited to see the joint facilities project at its current stage.

"I think it's really a dream come true for the community," Reynolds said. "Without education, a community is not going to be able to move forward."

Zumwalt also thanked several members of COS faculty and staff, Hanford City Council and other local governing boards. He also recognized John Doyel and Hanford City Manager Gary Misenhimer. Misenhimer later stood to speak at the ceremony.

"If you're not sitting here proud and excited, you need to go get your blood pressure checked," Misenhimer said to attendees.

Scroggins then returned to the podium and explained what the COS Hanford College Center would have to offer.

"The building is just the start," Scroggins said. "The future of [the] center is in your hands."

He added that it would take continued community spirit for the center to reach its full potential.

"When I came to this community they said you will build us a college," Scroggins said. "And damn it, we did it."

Scroggins then joined several of the project's leaders for what he referred to as a "dirt-flinging ceremony" on the soil that will become the foundation of the college.

Monday's ceremony was attended by several local educators, including Kings County Superintendent of Schools John Stankovich and Glen Parsons, Chapman University's Hanford Campus director. Parsons said he was excited about the new COS center and believed it would complement Chapman, and aid in a seamless transition of higher education.

"Good things are going to happen," Parsons said. "Hanford is finally getting its due."

(Dec. 2, 2008)