Voters across nine counties in northwest and north-central Iowa approved a $25.5 million bond issue Tuesday for improvements at Iowa Central Community College. It has campuses in Fort Dodge, Webster City and Storm Lake, with a career academy in Eagle Grove.
Iowa Central president Dan Kinney says he’s thrilled. “I really have to thank the voters out there for their confidence in Iowa Central Community College and getting out the vote,” Kinney says. “It was a lot of hard work and I think we did a better job of getting out and selling it.” Voters in December of 2016 narrowly defeated a $29.5 million bond issue for Iowa Central. This latest bond issue needed at least 60-percent approval to pass and got 67.5%.
“A special shout-out has to go to our faculty and staff,” Kinney says. “They did a wonderful job of getting out there and helping us sell it and talk about it.” Projects that will be funded include a student center on the Fort Dodge campus, an industrial training facility in Storm Lake, upgrades to science facilities, a biofuels testing lab and safety improvements.
Kinney says, “We’re excited for a bright future for Iowa Central Community College and more importantly, a bright future for the service area that we serve as we move forward into the next 50 years.” Enrollment for the three campuses is over 5,000 students.
(Thanks to Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)