Senate OKs Bill Establishing EWCHEC
Proposal heads to governor's desk

The governor's signature is the last item left before the East Williamson County Higher Education Center becomes an official entity.

The Texas Senate passed legislation Tuesday to establish the institution.

Area legislators Rep. Mike Krusee and Sen. Steve Ogden sponsored the bill in their respective chambers.

Now that the first hurdle is behind it, Chuck McCarter, director of the EWCHEC, said the center will be searching for funding opportunities. No money was provided in either piece of legislation establishing the facility.

“We want to create funding appropriation streams that would support a multi-institution teaching center” that encompasses a university, a career and technology component, a two-year college component and workforce readiness, he said.

No one is holding their breath for funding through the state appropriations bill, but the center already has some interested private investors, McCarter said.

A site has not yet been chosen for the facility, but five sites have been discussed - a location near Frame Switch, the south end of Carlos Parker Boulevard within the Taylor city limits on the corner of FM 973 and US 79, two locations near east Carlos Parker Boulevard and one location on US 79 between Taylor and Hutto.

The Temple College at Taylor Board of Trustees was expected to make a final decision on the site but instead chose to wait to see if legislation passed, according to John Nelson, director of the Taylor Economic Development Corporation, which has been working with the Hutto EDC and Taylor and Hutto school districts to establish the EWCHEC.

If finding funding sources moves along quickly, McCarter estimated that the institution could be running within a few years.

“Whether students will want to work in design, testing or repair, the high skill, high wage programs will help the current and future workforce of East Williamson County,” McCarter said in a statement.