Ocala Star-Banner - September 26, 2001
By BILL THOMPSON
Staff Writer

OCALA — An Orlando architecture firm has emerged as the front-runner to design Central Florida Community College's new campus gem.

Tuesday, CFCC's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to authorize President Charles Dassance to negotiate the contract for planning the Century Center, a 60,000-square-foot multipurpose building to be situated on a grassy parcel fronting State Road 200.

Dr. Charles Hayes, CFCC's vice president for administration and finance, told the board a screening committee interviewed representatives of five firms on Monday, the leading candidates from the dozen that initially sought the contract.

While all five offered "fascinating" suggestions for the 19-acre site, including plans to create a "water feature" on its gentle slope, the committee agreed Hunton Brady Pryor Maso Architects of Orlando was the tentative choice, Hayes said.

Hayes didn't discuss financial terms of the potential agreement. But, he added, one reason that firm stood above the others was that it was the master planner for the CFCC campus.

Zofia Jurewicz, the firm's project manager for the CFCC proposal, could not be reached for comment.

According to CFCC officials, Century Center promises to be a state-of-the-art learning facility, housing a corporate and technology training center and CFCC's research groups, the Public Policy Institute and the Seniors Institute.

A 1,200-seat performing arts center is also proposed for the site, following completion of the corporate-training section.

Dr. Joe Wallace, CFCC's public relations director, said CFCC has raised about $5 million in its first-ever capital improvements fund-raising campaign, which began in March.

The college seeks to raise roughly another $2.5 million to construct Century Center and two other buildings — one on the Ocala campus and one at CFCC's Citrus County satellite campus.

Some of that money will also fund scholarships and faculty endowments, college officials have said.

Bill Thompson covers community issues and can be reached at 867-4117, or at bill.thompson@starbanner.com.

See September 26, 2001 issue of Ocala Star-Banner for original article.