ACTC to gift Roberts Drive campus property to Ashland Independent School District

Published on Sep 29, 2026

Ashland Community and Technical College (ACTC) is donating its Roberts Drive Campus property to the Ashland Independent School District, following recent approval of the transfer by both institutions’ governing boards.

The property, located at 4700 Roberts Drive in Summit, includes three freestanding buildings situated on approximately 4.7 acres of land. A recent appraisal by a state-approved appraiser valued the property at just over $1.5 million.

The KCTCS Board of Regents has approved the transfer, and the Ashland Independent School District Board approved acceptance of the property during their meeting on Monday.

ACTC determined the Roberts Drive Campus is surplus to the college’s institutional needs and no longer serves a current or reasonably foreseeable academic, operational or strategic purpose.
Programs historically housed at the campus have been consolidated at other ACTC locations, allowing the college to make more efficient use of its facilities and resources while reducing its overall physical footprint.

The donation also reflects ACTC and KCTCS’ broader commitment to responsible stewardship of public resources.

“This is a great example of how we can be responsible stewards of our resources while also investing in the communities we serve,” said KCTCS President Ryan Quarles. “By transferring this property to Ashland Independent Schools, we’re ensuring a site that has supported education and workforce training for decades can continue opening doors for students and creating opportunities in the Ashland community. We’re proud of our partnership with the school district and excited to see how this property will serve the next generation.”

KCTCS has identified responsible use of facilities and resources, efficient operations and strategic reviews of assets as key components of its commitment to long-term financial health and sustainability.

Rather than continuing to maintain a surplus property, ACTC leadership determined that transferring the Roberts Drive Campus to another public education institution would provide an opportunity for the property to continue serving an educational purpose.

“ACTC and KCTCS are grateful to gift our Roberts Drive property to Ashland Independent Schools to further support their goals for the future,” said Dr. Larry Ferguson, ACTC Chancellor.

For the Ashland Independent School District, the property represents an opportunity to expand educational programs and services for its more than 3,000 students.

“We are eternally grateful for the generous donation bestowed upon our district by the Ashland Community & Technical College & the Kentucky Community & Technical College System.  This extraordinary gift will provide opportunities for greater flexibility, growth, and improvement throughout the Ashland Independent School District for many years to come,” said Dr. Sean Howard, Ashland Independent School District superintendent.

He added, “We are deeply thankful for the strong, mutually beneficial partnership that the Ashland Independent School District and ACTC have fostered over the years.  This generosity is a meaningful reflection of that partnership and of our shared commitment to serving our students and strengthening our community. We look forward to continuing to build upon this valued relationship and creating even more opportunities for our students, families, and community in the years ahead.”

The transfer also builds upon a longstanding relationship between ACTC and the Ashland Independent School District and reflects a shared commitment to expanding educational opportunities for students in the community.

“The Ashland Board of Education is deeply committed to being thoughtful stewards of the resources entrusted to us while planning not only for the students we serve today, but for future generations,” said the Ashland Board of Education. “With land being such a valuable and limited resource in our community, maximizing the property available to the district has been an important part of our long-range planning. We cannot know what the future of education will require, but we can make thoughtful decisions today that give future leaders the space and flexibility to meet those needs.”

They added, “Our greatest investment will always be our students. We want to provide them with an education and a community they are proud to call home—one they will choose to remain in or return to as adults to raise their families, build careers, become leaders, and invest their own talents in the next generation of Ashland.”

The Board of Education also said that the generous donation of the remaining portion of the Roberts Drive Campus by Ashland Community & Technical College, in partnership with the Kentucky Community & Technical College System, speaks directly to that vision. They said in a district where available land is scarce, this extraordinary gift provides something truly invaluable…room for possibilities.

 “On behalf of the Ashland Independent Board of Education, we extend our sincere appreciation to ACTC and KCTCS,” the Ashland Board of Education said. “We treasure our longstanding partnership and the shared responsibility we have to educate our young people, create opportunities, and strengthen the community we all call home. For a gift that provides opportunities for generations to come, ‘thank you’ simply seems inadequate. Please know it is offered with our deepest and most heartfelt gratitude.”

The Roberts Drive property has served workforce and career education in Ashland for decades.
Originally added to the Ashland Area Vocational Technical School in the mid-1980s, the campus provided training in skilled trades including carpentry, electrical technology, automotive and diesel technology, and welding.

The site later became part of Ashland Community and Technical College, supporting workforce, academic and community education programs.

In 2015, ACTC consolidated Workforce Solutions operations at Roberts Drive, bringing business and industry training, community education and continuing education programs to the campus.
In January 2026, ACTC opened the Transportation Education Center at its Technology Drive Campus, relocating automotive, diesel and CDL programs.

Remaining Workforce Solutions programs moved to Technology Drive this summer, completing the college’s transition from Roberts Drive.

Paul Seasor, Administrative Services Director at ACTC says that transferring the surplus property to Ashland Independent Schools will eliminate ongoing maintenance costs, reduce liability and better align ACTC facilities with current needs, while ensuring the property continues to serve an educational purpose.

“This donation represents an opportunity for the Roberts Drive property to continue its long history of supporting education in the Ashland community while allowing ACTC to focus its resources on facilities that directly support its current and future students,” Seasor said.