Iowa Central proposes bond

Staff report
Greene County voters will be asked Dec. 6 to help decide on a $29.5 million bond issue for Iowa Central Community College.

Greene County is located in Iowa Central’s service region.

For the average homeowner, the bond would cost approximately $1.04 per month based on a home valued at $100,000.

The bond referendum will support the Iowa Central Campus Master Plan used by administrators to plan for future growth at the Fort Dodge-based college.

The college says state funding has declined while enrollment has increased.

Iowa Central was founded in 1966, and is funded through state appropriations, local property tax and some federal funding, but the majority of funding (62 percent) comes through student tuition and fees.

The college has identified the following projects as necessary improvements:

Student Services Center ($9 million)

All student services will be consolidated in one facility — a new, 44,000-square-foot student success building.

The goal is to provide the necessary services to increase persistence, academic standing, graduation rates and job placement.

Career Academies ($5 million)

Building on the success of the North Central Career Academy in Eagle Grove, Iowa Central wants to start two new Career Academies in the northwest and southwest portions of its region to serve all high schools in Area V.

The academies allow participating school districts to pool resources and instructors to provide more educational opportunities to students.

Depending on the number of classes that students take, according to Iowa Central, it can save a family more than $6,000 in college tuition before they graduate from high school.  

The academies also allow service-area employers to conduct training for employees and non-credit educational opportunities closer to home.

General updates ($5 million)

Iowa Central wants to reinvest in its aging infrastructure in Fort Dodge, Webster City, Storm Lake and Eagle Grove, including upgrading windows, roofs, HVAC, electrical and parking lot resurfacing.

Remodel of Decker Auditorium ($4 million)

Decker Auditorium opened the summer of 1978 and has never received any major improvements, according to the college.

Proposed improvements include new seating, a general face-lift, energy efficiency upgrades, electrical equipment improvements, and equipment and safety upgrades.

Safety ($3 million)

Included will be a state of the art security system that will allow for remote management of video surveillance cameras as well as new automated access control locks on exterior doors in case of an emergency.

More classroom space ($1.5 million)

The current student services building will be repurposed to an academic building with approximately 10 new classrooms.

Additionally, $1.5 million would go into the college’s reserve, and $500,000 would be earmarked for an elevator in the Chelesvig Center in Webster City.