Firefighters pose in front of the house in Liberty at Saturday’s controlled burn on Randolph Community College’s new property. (Liberty Fire Department)
LIBERTY — A controlled burn of a building on Randolph Community College’s Liberty campus served multiple purposes Saturday.
The event marked a step in the plan to further develop RCC’s Liberty property.
Shah Ardalan, president of RCC, called the event part of the process in moving toward the college’s mission.
“This controlled burn is more than a training exercise,” Ardalan said. “It is a tangible representation of our commitment to Access and Success for Randolph County and beyond. We are excited to ignite progress at this site and look forward to serving our region through the Liberty Center.”
The demolition of the building comes in the effort to prepare the grounds for an expansion of programs at the location. It was about a year ago that RCC finalized details to purchase about 22 acres in Liberty at the intersection of U.S. 421 and N.C. 49.
“It’s a step for (RCC) in what they’re doing with that property,” said Scott Kidd, Liberty’s town manager. “And it’s a good training when you can do a live burn like that. Our local fire department gets free training.”
RCC gave Saturday’s activities a theme: “Ashes to Ambitions, Crafting the Future.”
Liberty Center is intended to become a hub for innovation, career-oriented education and community collaboration, according to RCC.
The controlled burn of the house, which has been described as an older home, was an undertaking that involved several fire departments. There were 25 firefighters from seven different fire departments participating in the controlled burn.
The event went off without any unexpected complications, based on reports from the community college.
RCC officials dubbed the occasion as a chance to aid in training for the fire departments who were represented.
“These training exercises are critical to ensuring the safety and preparedness of fire departments throughout the region,” the college said in a release.
There are more steps that will need to take place before construction begins at RCC’s Liberty Center. There’s the matter of installing water and sewer lines and other infrastructure that will be necessary.
Last January, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality approved the Town of Liberty’s request to add sewer line extensions, allowing for residential, commercial and industrial growth outside of existing service areas. A small part of that was related to RCC’s property, Kidd said.
