Horry-Georgetown Technical College still intends to build a $500,000 technology training center aimed at workers for the planned American Gypsum plant: It just won't be located next to the county airport.

Instead, the college will build the center at its existing 30-acre location on South Fraser Street.

The school withdrew its application to lease the property next to the airport on Nov. 8, a week after two area residents voiced strong opposition.

The original proposal included plans to lease about 26,000 square feet of airport land adjacent to Horry-Georgetown Technical college for 30 years to build a multi-purpose lab and training center.

During a County Council meeting Oct. 24, area resident William Chalker said the lease of property to the Horry-Georgetown Technical College was not in the best interest of taxpayers and was in violation of Federal Aviation Administration regulations, according to meeting minutes.

Another resident, Gerald Belusz, said he was concerned that the county may need to relocate the airport in the future if the existing site is continually reduced for sale or lease of acreage.

"At the time. we didn't know that the Airport Commission had long-range plans for that property, and the FAA said it could endanger future use of that land," said H. Neyle Wilson, president of Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

The new site will be used to build a Center for Accelerated Technology Training in time to train employees for the American Gypsum, Inc. plant.

American Gypsum's $125 million wallboard factory is being built at Santee Cooper's Winyah generating station. The groundbreaking was in March, and the plant is scheduled to open in 2007.

Officials expect it to bring in about 100 new plant jobs and to create 200 jobs in the community to supply and service the plant.

"We feel that this decision best accommodates the land/zoning requirements, and best ensures that the Technical Training Center remains on schedule for May 2007," said a letter from Wilson to Georgetown County.

The new Center for Accelerated Technology will be about 7,500 square feet to house a multipurpose facility, including labs, offices and classrooms, Wilson said.

The college should get word in December if it has received a $500,000 grant from the S.C. Department of Commerce to help build the site.

Horry-Georgetown Technical College has allocated another $50,000 and the Center for Accelerated Technology Training will give about $150,000 to pay for classroom instructors and materials, Wilson said.

In the future the multipurpose lab will be used to start a construction trade program that would include classes, such as roofing and electrical wiring, not currently offered at the college, Wilson said.