By Alison M. Wood
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Camden County College will demolish the Wilson Center Complex in the center of the Blackwood campus this summer, a college official announced this week.
The demolition of the complex will commence after the college’s convocation ceremony in June 2018. “The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of August, before the start of the fall school term,” said Maris Kukainis, executive director of financial administrative services at Camden County College.
The Wilson Complex consists of Wilson Hall West, Wilson Hall Center, Wilson Hall East and Wilson Hall Annex.
“This building complex and its systems are far beyond their useful life and have been taken out of service due to constant recurring infrastructure failures and deficiencies”, reads the college’s website. “The buildings were built in approximately 1950 and are scheduled for demolition in 2018.”
The cost to demolish the complex will be about $1.2 million and the funding will come from both the state and the county, Kukainis stated.
At this time, college officials will not replace the complex, Kukainis said. “The site will be converted to an open grass field for now. There are no current plans for development of this area. All the departments that were formerly housed in Wilson have relocated over the past several years to other buildings, including Taft Hall, the new Roosevelt Hall and the Community Center/Connector Building. Major development plans for the Blackwood campus are focused on renovations of the Papiano Gym and Lincoln Hall.”
The Wilson Center Complex stands in the middle of the Blackwood campus. By Alison M. Wood, CCC Journalism Program