The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of trustees held its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., in the Administration Center board room.
The board held a public hearing regarding reconstruction of the Spartan Hall parking lot. Wayne Pantini, SWCC vice president of economic development, said the college received 13 bids for the project. According to Austin Smith of Garden & Associates, who was in attendance at the meeting, 13 bids was the most he had ever seen for a surfacing project. Following discussion, the lowest bid, $285,888, from C&J Conservation of Creston, was approved by the SWCC board in a roll call vote. This bid came in lower than the engineer’s opinion of probable cost, at $387,099.
Next, Pantini talked to the board concerning the CDL training range at the SWCC ag site, related to the CDL Infrastructure Grant awarded to the college by Iowa Workforce Development in the amount of $665,000 in November 2023. Pantini said since November, college administration has been looking at the SWCC ag site as the location for the CDL program and they have been working on the logistics to make this happen.
“Tonight … we would ask for consideration of the parking lot improvements for a total of $119,574, which will come from the college’s plant fund, Fund 7,” Pantini said.
According to Pantini, the remainder of the funding for the project would come from institutional road use funds from the Iowa Department of Transportation. With the planned changes, Pantini said the entrance to the ag site would be widened and a second entrance will be added to the south of the Agricultural Sciences Center to create a loop for traffic flow.
Following Pantini’s presentation, the board approved the recommendations for the road improvements at the ag site related to the CDL training range, and authorized the college to go out for bids on the project and set the time, date, and location for a public hearing on the project.
The board then set a public hearing on the fiscal year 2025 budget for April 9, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., in the board room at SWCC.
Brandi Shay, SWCC chief financial officer, spoke to the board regarding a proposed increase in the student housing room and board fees and deposit for the 2024-25 academic year.
Shay said prior to last year, the college had gone four years without an increase and explained the need for the current increase.
“We want to make sure we’re keeping up with things, so we don’t have to catch up later,” stated Shay.
Shay said college administrators were proposing a $100 per term increase in room and board fees in the suites-style apartments including Spartan Suites, Spartan Hall, and Spartan Court, and a $75 per term increase for the traditional-style rooms in West Hall. Following Shay’s comments, the board approved the room and board increases as presented.
During the president’s report, Kim Bishop, SWCC dean of student services, reminded the board of SWCC commencement ceremonies to be held on Friday, May 10.
Lindsay Stoaks, SWCC president, then spoke to the board regarding a potential grant application the college is pursuing related to the skilled trades programs. Stoaks talked about the strength of SWCC’s Career Academy programs for high school students. These programs have been offered at the college since the early-2000s. Stoaks said currently there is a strong interest from the region’s industries and high schools for welding technology and EMS as new Career Academies, therefore the grant would be written to provide funding to add these programs at Southwestern.
According to Stoaks, the Career Academy Incentive Fund grant application is due April 17. If SWCC is selected, Stoaks said the college could receive up to $1 million. If not approved, SWCC would have the opportunity to reapply for the grant in the fall.
Sue Stearns of Woodburn, SWCC board member and Community Colleges for Iowa representative, spoke briefly regarding her first in-person meeting as a Community Colleges for Iowa board member. The meeting was held in conjunction with Community College Day on the Hill at the state capitol. Stoaks said SWCC’s ag programs were featured during the event at the capitol and interest in the programs was favorable.
Dr. Tony Cass of Creston, SWCC board president, mentioned how well attended the Friday, March 8, ORBIT Center ground breaking ceremony was at the SWCC Osceola Center. Cass said the ORBIT Center will be a great collaboration between SWCC and the Clarke County Development Corporation. Construction for that project will begin this spring.
The board then went into exempt session for the collective bargaining strategy.
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