Community leaders voice strong support for Durham Tech bond referendum at county meeting

Community leaders from Duke Health, Novo Nordisk, Made in Durham, and the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce voiced strong support for the proposed Durham Tech bond referendum this fall, which would build a new Health Sciences Center, Life Sciences Training Center, a pedestrian connector over Lawson Street, and acquisition of property for future expansion of Main Campus. 

The Durham County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on July 12 to hear from the community regarding potential bond issues on the November 2022 ballot.  

The $112.7 million referendum, if approved, would provide high-quality training hubs for major regional industries in healthcare and life sciences. With booming career opportunities in these sectors, Durham Tech is well-positioned to train local talent and provide a diverse workforce pipeline to area companies. 

A breakdown of the bond referendum includes: 

• $74 million for an 86,000-square-foot building to expand and consolidate all Allied Health Programs into one building, including a pedestrian connector across East Lawson Street from the Educational Resources Center; 
• $35.2 million for a 35,280-square-foot building to house life sciences industry training and education. 
• $3.5 million to purchase parcels for the future expansion of the Durham Main Campus. 

Debra Clark Jones, Associate Vice President for Community Health at Duke Health, supported the bond on behalf of Duke Health and said the funding would act as an investment in the entire community by addressing the shortage of nurses in North Carolina. 

“Durham Technical Community College plays a pivotal role in addressing healthcare workforce needs,” said Clark Jones. “The newly proposed allied health building will serve as a state-of-the-art space to attract and educate students for jobs that will be in high demand for years to come.” 

Shaylah Nunn Jones, Government and Public Affairs lead for Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical, said Durham Tech is prepared to make the most of this bond by executing on the development and ensuring all Durham residents benefit from the facility. 

“This bond is critical for three reasons: One, to increase the talent pipeline to recruit workers that Novo Nordisk and other life sciences companies need today and into perpetuity. Two, for training our current workforce to ensure that we can provide continuous improvement for our biomanufacturer processing. And third, and maybe one of the most critical for the Durham community, as that we see this new life sciences training facility as a tool for reskilling current Durham residents and driving awareness at the jobs in the life sciences industry are available and accessible for everyone,” Jones said. 

Casey Steinbacher, Executive Director of Made in Durham, spoke about the need for the Durham community and that backing the project would help make Durham more successful. 

“The proposed Durham Tech project you are looking at this evening will absolutely be necessary to successfully scale our current efforts to ensure that Durham residents and specifically our young adults of color have pathways to high-wage, high-growth careers in our own community. There is a need now and there is clearly a greater future need for the facility improvement industry careers like life sciences,” said Steinbacher. 

Bryan Fox, Vice President of Public Policy at the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber supports the bond because the growth of Durham and workforce developmental training would provide short-term and long-term benefits to residents and businesses. 

“The Durham Tech bond will enable our residents and businesses to continue to expand existing programs while also adding new in-demand specialties like the life sciences training center and health sciences center,” said Fox. 

Durham voters will have a chance to support the bond referendum on the November 2022 election ballot. 

To follow news updates on the 2022 Bond Referendum, visit www.durhamtech.edu/news.