Dutchess Community College, in partnership with Dutchess County Government, has celebrated the groundbreaking of a new experiential lab and classroom hangar at Hudson Valley Regional Airport in the Town of Wappinger today for the College’s expanding aviation program.
The 32,000ft2facility will provide a learning environment for DCC aviation students, as well as experiential lab space for a fixed-base operator and maintenance facility serving the airport.
The new hangar and aviation program are part of Dutchess County’s strategy to create pipelines to jobs and attract aircraft maintenance facilities to build on the 12 acres available for development at the airport.
“This initiative reflects an extraordinary collaboration between the college and the county, and the alignment of our shared strategic goals,” said Dr. Pamela Edington, DCC president. “This state-of-the-art educational facility will allow for the college to expand on its successful aviation offerings, while enhancing operations at our county airport.”
County executive Marc Molinaro said, “This collaboration with Dutchess Community College will reap tremendous benefits, adding new job opportunities and attracting investment to Hudson Valley Regional Airport. This hangar is the next step in Dutchess County’s efforts to maximize our airport’s potential. It will be an innovative facility providing space for students to train for well-paying jobs in this dynamic field, both locally and beyond, accelerating the growth of a skilled workforce and boosting our local economy.”
