Grant helps fund SWCC road improvements

As Spartan administration works to revamp every part of their campus, no stone is being left unturned. While progress continues on various large projects at Southwestern Community College, roads and parking lots are also getting their time in the sun.

“As we continue to facilitate our master facilities plan, one of those projects for infrastructure was taking a look at all our pavement improvement projects, specifically our roads and our parking lot areas,” SWCC Vice President of Economic Development Wayne Pantini said. “We engaged with Garden and Associates to take a look at all of those as a whole and then prioritize for us how to take on chunks of that at a time.”

Priorities include adding a boulevard and turn lanes at the main entrance alongside improvements to seven or eight different sidewalk areas.

The total estimated cost for construction and engineering for the first phase of the project is just over $290,000. The college plans to fund some of this project using a grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation received in 2023.

“That can only be used for road improvements; that cannot be used for parking areas, so we have to be real strategic about how we do that,” Pantini said. Some of the funds have already been used when adding the Transportation Training Center to campus last year.

Originally $400,000, SWCC has about $120,000 left. Pantini said the IDOT will likely reimburse the college for these projects this year.

“I think it’s a good way to take a look at it and offset some of that cost for phase one,” Pantini said.

The board tentatively approved the plans and cost for the project and authorized the college to seek bids.

In other SWCC board news...

Pantini gave an update on the SWCC Skilled Trades Center project, which opened up for bids on Dec. 17. A pre-bid meeting was held in early January to allow prospective contractors to ask questions and get clarifications from Shive Hattery and Hanson Companies, both who are working on early stages of the project with SWCC. Pantini reported a good turnout, with final bids due Jan. 28.

“We spent a good 45 minutes to an hour with them and it was very well attended. Quite a few different kinds of contractors were present,” Pantini said. “Just as a reminder, we do have nine different bid packages that we are having contractors bid on currently.”

After final bids come in, the board will review them and decide on contractors at their February meeting.

The board approved one resignation and two early retirements. Tobi Crawford, a professional music instructor, has resigned. SWCC Director of Adult Literacy Darla Helm and Director of Information Technology and Information Security Officer Scott Helm were both approved for early retirement, effective June 30.