After much deliberation, the Liberty College and Career Academy location off Airport Road was officially deemed ready for construction during a Friday afternoon special luncheon.

The Liberty County Chamber of Commerce welcomed guest speaker Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to update chamber members and elected officials on legislative issues and to speak about his support for career academies in Georgia.

Cagle told the audience of about 100 that he feels the economy has hit rock bottom and that things will get better soon. He addressed audience concerns on trauma care – he said he was a supporter of the $10 tag fee that failed to pass last year – and said he understands the shortage of quality trauma care centers and is working on getting better funding for local jails.

The lieutenant governor also addressed his excitement of breaking ground for the much anticipated LCCA to be just minutes from Savannah Technical College on Airport Road.

“Not every child is going to college,” he reminded the audience. “(But) that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to be successful. Eighty percent of the jobs tomorrow need some technical training.”

The new LCCA would allow students to earn technical college credit while still in high school, and the facility is expected to open in August 2012. As of today, there are 23 career academies across Georgia, Cagle said.

Cagle briefly mentioned HOPE Scholarship and pre-k cuts and said he stands by the governor on his decisions on the cutbacks. The current plan is to slash pre-k program hours back to allow more students to enroll, and that high school students with a 1200 SAT score and 3.7 GPA will have fully paid tuition through the HOPE Scholarship.

For more, pick up a copy of the March 2 edition of the News.