The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors held its regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., in the Administration Center board room.
A public hearing was held for the main entrance and sidewalk project on the Creston campus. No oral or written comments for or against the projects were heard.
Wayne Pantini, SWCC vice president of economic development, said 11 bids were received last week for the project. Feldhacker Contracting of Creston submitted the lowest bid at $213,290. Pantini said construction will begin after graduation ceremonies in May, and work should be completed by August 1.
The board formally approved the plans for the main entrance and sidewalk project with a roll-call vote, followed by acceptance of Feldhacker Contracting’s bid for the project.
Next, the board approved the awarding of contracts for nine bid packages related to the skilled trades building project on the Creston campus. Pantini said the combined nine bids totaled $4.579 million, which was slightly lower than the estimated $4.752 million. The total project cost for construction of a new trades facility is estimated at $6.3 million.
Pantini said the next step will be a pre-construction meeting to lay out the entire project timeline. The hope is for construction to begin in late March and be completed in December 2026.
Brandi Shay, presented Education Foundation board appointments to the college board of directors for the coming year. Education Foundation board appointments include Bryant Blay of Red Oak; Kevin Britten of Red Oak; Jeremy Evers of Osceola; David Greene of Mount Ayr; Julie Lanning of Creston; Shawna Parrish of Diagonal; Lindsay Stoaks of Corning, SWCC president; and Alec Turner of Corning. The SWCC board unanimously approved the Education Foundation board selections.
In personnel, the board accepted the early retirement request of Ann Coulter, director of the Learning Resource Center, effective June 30, 2026. Coulter has worked at the college for 45 years.
The board approved a head coaching contract for Alyssa Jeffrey of Council Bluffs. Kim Bishop, SWCC dean of student services, spoke highly of Jeffrey, saying she “is an experienced volleyball coach having spent time coaching at the high school and collegiate levels.” Jeffrey most recently coached volleyball at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs and was a former assistant coach at Iowa Western Community College.
Bishop gave the spring 2026 semester enrollment report. She told the board the college’s spring enrollment is 1,568 students, which is up nine students and 90 credit hours from spring 2025 enrollment.
Lindsay Stoaks, SWCC president, reminded the board about Community College Day on the Hill at the state capitol on Tuesday, March 3. Stoaks said Southwestern employees would be sharing responsibilities in early March due to the college’s Higher Learning Commission (HLC) 10-year accreditation visit, scheduled for March 2 and 3. Nursing faculty will be representing Southwestern during Community College Day on the Hill and demonstrating a patient simulator from the nursing department’s simulation lab.
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