A thunderstorm was not enough to keep Kyle, Buda and Austin Community College officials from celebrating the start of construction for the second phase of the ACC Hays campus, a facility geared toward training first responders. The groundbreaking was held at the location of the future facility, adjacent to the existing ACC Hays building at 1200 Kohlers Crossing, Kyle. The new $22.4 million space will be home to the criminal justice and emergency medical services professions programs. Features include a law-enforcement training center, emergency vehicle operations track, an indoor firing range, space for police simulation training and classrooms specially designed for emergency management operations training. “This is really an exciting time for us,” ACC President and CEO Richard Rhodes said. “It doesn’t get any better than this.” Each ACC campus strives to meet the needs of the community it serves, he said, and that collaboration is vital in creating a successful college such as ACC Hays. Kyle City Council Member Travis Mitchell said ACC benefits the community by preparing students for jobs that match real-world needs. “To me, ACC is far more than a school where a student simply gets their basic coursework and accumulation of credits in route to transfer to a four year university, although it is that,” Mitchell said. “ACC represents a commitment to matching eager students with real careers, and that is something I am passionate about.” In the past few years, ACC has placed over 415 students to work in their community in various police departments, said G.W. Hildebrand, who chairs the criminal justice department. The new first responders’ facility will open for classes for the fall 2018 semester.