Voters in nine counties of northwest and north-central Iowa approved an $18 million bond issue Tuesday for the Iowa Central Community College district.
The measure needed 60 percent approval and got 65 percent.
Dr. Robert Paxton, president of Iowa Central in Fort Dodge, was thrilled with the results. Paxton says the region is moving forward in industries including health care, biotech and biofuels.
The bond issue will help pay for a new Bio Science and Health Science Center on the Fort Dodge campus. The money will also be used to strengthen relationships with area high schools, construction of a new student learning resource center in Fort Dodge, replacement of roofs at the Fort Dodge and Webster City campuses and other projects.
A previous bond issue vote last December for $10 million was rejected.
Paxton says the future now looks very promising. "We’re going to see in the next year or two some tremendous gains in terms of the skilled workforce for our emerging industries in the biofuels, health and some of the other areas that are growing in our region," he says.
The Iowa Central district is made up of Buena Vista, Sac, Pocahontas, Calhoun, Webster, Humboldt, Wright, Hamilton and Greene counties.