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By Dawn Burleigh

Orange City Council approved a request by Lamar State College Orange (LSCO) to abandon the alley between 4^th Street and 5^th Street and between Green Ave. and Main Street.

In October 2019, acquired the former Capital One Bank 14,661-square-foot building.
The glass building sits on 1.6 acres at the corner of 5th Street and Green Ave. and has been vacant for many years.

LSCO plans to demolish the existing building and construct a new 55,000 square foot academics building with a plaza. The plaza would span across the current roadway and allow for safer crossing for the students.

The college also had record breaking numbers for the Summer semester.

A record 84% increase in the number of students attended Summer 2020 with a headcount of 1,323 compared to Summer 2019 with a headcount of 718.

“While many students took the opportunity of two free classes during the summer, they attended four courses over the summer,” LSCO President Dr, Thomas Johnson said. “It was an opportunity to help our students get ahead.”

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress in early April and the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund within the Act has provisions to help students who suffered financial hardship due to the coronavirus.