News Photo by Crystal Nelson Signage directing passersby to Alpena Community College’s manufacturing classrooms is pictured Friday in the college’s Besser Technical Center.

ALPENA — The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees appointed Berkley-based Stantec as the architectural and engineering firm for a renovation of the college’s welding and manufacturing labs.

Stantec was recommended to the board from a total of three firms that responded to the college’s request for qualifications. The college will pay the company $173,400 to develop specifications and drawings for the project.

The $3 million project will renovate the laboratory space where the welding and manufacturing programs are based in the college’s Besser Technical Center.

The manufacturing program will move into the space where the autobody shop was previously located, doubling the space for the program. The welding program will then move into the space vacated by the manufacturing program, doubling the space for the welding program as well.

College President Don MacMaster said the appointment of the architect and engineering firm is an early milestone in the project.

“This is definitely a first step, an important step, we’re excited about it, it really gets the project kicked off,” he said.

MacMaster said he did not have a timeline for the project yet.

He said although college officials want to get the project done as soon as possible, it’s complicated, because construction would be located in areas where students attend classes. He said they will take that into account as they plan for the project.

MacMaster said students in the welding and manufacturing programs, who learn the skills and get the credentials, can get jobs locally. He said both programs are vibrant for the college and having more space and upgrading the equipment makes them more appealing.

College officials were notified in March they received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The federal grant will pay for 80% of the project, while the college will contribute 20% of the funding, which is $600,000.

MacMaster previously told The News the college already had its share of the money set aside.

MacMaster on Friday said that looking at the projects the college has completed – the completion of the World Center for Concrete Technology, the Electrical Power Technology Center, and the VanLare Hall renovation for the nursing program – this is the next logical step in that sequence.