The Kenai Peninsula College is excited to announce an important property acquisition for the University of Alaska Anchorage. The college has purchased 565 E Pioneer Ave. the adjacent property to the current Kachemak Bay campus. This property is the current location of Young’s Downtown Inn and Restaurant.
This exciting development marks a significant milestone in KPC’s commitment to expanding its facilities, and enhancing the educational opportunities for its students in the region. The additional property will support the college’s mission of providing accessible, high quality education and fostering a dynamic learning environment for students of all backgrounds.
According to Communication Specialist Ruby Glaser, this is a huge win for the college.
“We have fairly limited opportunities to grow our campus. And so we’re really excited to be able to have the opportunity to expand and provide more for our students in our community because that’s really our priority. So we’re just really eager for that opportunity that’s come up.”
Reid Brewer, The Kenai Peninsula College Director of the Kachemak Bay Campus, shares a similar level of excitement. Purchasing this land has been a very trying effort for many years, but he’s glad it’s finally coming into fruition.
“This property’s been for sale for over 10 years now. My predecessor, who hired five years ago, and Cheryl Siemers, the director of the KPC, her predecessor retired two years ago. They had been working on it for a while then. There’s challenges when you’re trying to through land acquisition properties, asking values, market values, there’s there’s lots that complicate those transactions. And like I said, fortunately for us, the environment was right, and everybody was able to come into agreement. We were able to make it work.”
Overall, everyone is excited about the purchase of this land and is awaiting to see what it will become.
“And even the faculty and staff, when the announcement was made couldn’t believe it. It is a really exciting opportunity and ultimately it could change the face of how we’re able to serve the community,” said Brewer.