TIFTON — Construction on Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s newest building is underway.

The college commenced development of its new Agricultural Technology Building with a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 26, sending a project five years and $11 million in the making into its final stages.

ABAC President Dr. Tracy Brundage, Deidra Jackson, vice president of finance and operations, Dr. Amy Willis, acting provost and vice president of academic affairs; Dr. Mark Kistler, dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Tim Carpenter, director of facilities and land resources, convened before a pile of dirt in front of the construction site, scooping up portions of the mound with gold-tipped shovels and tossing it before the grounds to signal the start of the project’s final stage.

Spearheaded by former ABAC President David Bridges, former Provost Jerry Baker and Melvin Merrill, former director of development, the new building will provide not only new educational opportunities to ABAC’s students but also expand the university’s community.

The Agricultural Technology Building had been designed primarily with function in mind, with the hope that the building would “adapt over time,” Michael Chason, director of public relations emeritus, said in a speech before the official groundbreaking.

The new building will be able to serve multiple uses beyond academics, such as being a site for campus events or activities open to the general public.

Operational costs were also taken into consideration. Chason said the building design would allow courses to access large agricultural equipment for educational purposes.

“The Agricultural Technology Building will have an immediate impact on the students and economic performance of the region and the entire state,” Chason said. “The technological prowess of our students studying agriculture in modernized instructional spaces will be visible to the campus and community.”

Brundage thanked the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission, the Georgia General Assembly and the offices of Gov. Brian Kemp and Chancellor “Sonny” Perdue for their efforts in the project, stating that ABAC could not have accomplished this task without their help.

Brundage said the building would host coursework from the agriculture and agriculture technology management programs, and programs in collaboration with campus partners, such as industrial demonstrations.

“This building represents another way for us to provide a modern learning lab for our students,” Brundage said. “We pride ourselves on not just offering courses but opening students’ minds to the innovative and modern technology they will need in the workforce.”

As the five shovel bearers prepared to commemorate the construction project, Kistler dedicated the building not only to the students who would one day learn in its halls but every student of ABAC who would benefit from its facilities.

Construction of the new Agricultural Technology Building is underway, with the completion date currently planned for October 2023.