Students and staff gathered at the 100-year-old Washington Elementary School building that is now LBCC’s Benton Center in Corvallis to celebrate the completed remodel and expansion of the learning and testing areas.
Remodeling started last year and was completed by spring term. The ribbon cutting was delayed until winter term to coincide with the building’s 100th birthday.
LBCC President Lisa Avery did the honors of cutting the ribbon after thanking all the people who made the remodel possible. Most of all, Avery thanked the voters of Benton County for passing the levy, with 71% of them voting yes, that paid for upgrades to LBCC’s Benton Center, Child Care Center, and the courtyard on the main campus, as well as the construction of the Agriculture Center.
The new and improved Benton Learning Center and testing area will help more students for years to come.
The Benton Center building started as a grade school in 1925, named after the United States’ first president, George Washington. It has never looked better; the Learning Center and the testing area have a bigger and better layout with improvements for the students as well as the staff.
The crowd of 30-40 people enjoyed wine, cheese, crackers, fruit, and birthday cupcakes. Past instructors plus past and current members of the LBCC Foundation board mingled together admiring how well the century-old building looked after the upgrades. Jeff Davis, board chairman, spoke, thanking the voters for participating in getting the projects funded. He also wanted to recognize the staff, past and present, for all their hard work.
There were a few more speakers reminding everyone what special places the Benton Center and Chinook Hall are to the surrounding community – from young children all the way up to the 102-year-old who takes a wellness class on balancing.
This article originally appeared in the March 2025 edition of The Commuter.