WBRZ - Baton Rouge

GONZALES - School officials announced plans to break ground on a new Gonzales campus for River Parishes Community College later this month.

"This building represents so much more than a bigger facility," said Dr. Joe Ben Welch, chancellor for RPCC. "It's a symbol of the growth of the River Parishes and the opportunities present for members of the community."

The first phase of construction is expected to finish in the spring of 2013, and will be the first time RPCC will be housed in a building owned by the college. The second phase of construction will include the Advanced Technology Center for all technical programming at the college.

Public funds paid for the first phase of construction, while both public and private funds will pay for the second phase.

The groundbreaking will be March 21 in the Edenborne Development off Highway 44.