Consolidation
of Three Rivers Community College
History
Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, CT, is located on two main campuses, one on Mahan Drive and the other on New London Turnpike. The comprehensive community college was created in 1992 with the legislative-mandated merger of Mohegan Community College and Thames Valley Community Technical College. The buildings for each respective campus were built in the fifties and sixties (19 Thames Valley, 19 Mohegan); the Mohegan building was a Catholic girls' high school and the Thames facility a mid-century vocational technical college.
Normal attrition and the need for program growth and development rendered each facility inadequate by century's end. Extensive plans for needed renovations and expansion at the Mohegan campus were underway (dates) when the merger of the two colleges changed the nature of the project and significant improvements needed at both campuses were put on hold by the State while proposals for a co-located campus were examined.
In 1995, the architects, Dubose Associates,
produced two reports for the state which considered re-locating the consolidated Three Rivers Community Technical
College to two sites: the Mohegan site and the state owned grounds of the
former Norwich State Hospital, which was closing. Three sites on
the hospital grounds were developed and considered (Hilltop, Pondview, Kettle
Bldg) by the Dubose firm.
In 1997, Governor Rowland publicly stated his support for placing the college at the former hospital site and funding for preliminary studies was designated, followed by a budget allocation for the consolidation in 1998. During this time, the state attempted to develop and market the entire Norwich Hospital site. The co-location of the college was contingent on the designation of a client or tenant, and numerous proposals were considered during 1999. In (date), the state of Connecticut hired Spaulding and Slye to oversee the marketing and development of the site, and the co-location of the college remained unresolved pending the recommendations of this group.
In November 2000, the Spaulding and Slye group presented their proposal which included the recommendation of relocating Three Rivers College to a heretofore unconsidered site south of the Hospital site on Rte. 12. Additionally, current reviews and assessments are being conducted by the state of Connecticut regarding the feasibilty of this site, the three Norwich Hospital property sites, a proposed downtown Norwich location, or renovation and co-location at the two current campuses, as well as the economic impact of any co-location decision.
Page Revised October 22, 2003