State budgets are tight this year, but the Kenai Challenger Learning Center hasn’t given up on a multi-million dollar expansion. Marnie Olcott with the Center said it’s crucial that Kenai remains the best place for oil and gas workers to train…
Olcott: “This training is necessary. It is required, and if we don’t have the facilities in order to do this training in state, unfortunately the trainees will be having to go out of state.”
Currently, the Challenger Center has been sharing pool for some portions of the training, but they inevitably face class schedule conflicts…
Olcott: “The expansion will be a purpose use facility for the training operations which currently is housed over at the Kenai High School pool, which limits our ability to train during very specific times of the year, which is not ideal for the offshore industry, because it is during the drilling season. This new facility will enable us to train in state the amount of workers that are needing the training during off-peak drill hours.”
Olcott said they still hope to start construction this spring but they first need to secure public and/or private sponsors.
