The Carl Sandburg College Board of Trustees accepted bids for work related to renovating Building G on the Main Campus in Galesburg and received an update on plans for the new Science and Technology Center during its regular monthly meeting Thursday.
Trustees accepted a general works bid from River City Construction in East Peoria for $232,000 and bids from Mechanical Services Inc. in Galesburg for plumbing ($232,000), mechanical ($41,885) and electrical ($124,373) projects to move the automotive technology program to Building G from its current location in Building B.
When complete, Sandburg’s automotive technology, welding, machining and agriculture programs would all be housed in Building G. Renovations to Building G are expected to begin in late September and be completed in January.
The new Science and Technology Center will be built where the automotive technology program is currently located. The Board heard an update on the capital project from the College’s architecture firm, Farnsworth Group. Plans for the new two-story building remain within budget, and it is still expected to open in the fall of 2024. The building will be home to Sandburg dental hygiene program, nursing programs and the Math and Natural Sciences Department. It will mark the first new building constructed on the Main Campus since 2006 and the largest project since its primary construction in 1969.
The Board also approved the acceptance of funds for five external grants totaling more than $1 million.
- Supplemental Support Under the American Rescue Plan Act grant ($478,468) — These federal funds were awarded to institutions that applied under the most recent round of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF). Funds are intended to provide reimbursement for lost tuition revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as direct assistance grants for students.
- Pipeline for the Advancement of Healthcare Workers grant ($256,537) — Will fund projects that support and expand pathways for students in select health care programs such as nursing, radiologic technology, medical assisting, emergency medical technician, magnetic resonance imaging and phlebotomy. Funding will be used to build program capacity; provide direct student support; acquire training equipment; provide textbook scholarships; and cover software and supply fees for students.
- Illinois Community College Board College Bridge grant ($220,000) — Will be used to build a cohort model for nontraditional students that will include student-focused programming, academic support, direct student support grants and professional development for faculty and staff. ICCB Bridge grants such as this are designed to provide minority, first-generation, low-income students with skills and resources needed to succeed as they transition to community college from high school or the workforce.
- Early Childhood Education Access Consortium for Equity grant ($60,416.68) — Will be used to support Sandburg’s course-sharing abilities within Illinois Community Colleges Online (ILCCO), conduct an internal review of the College’s ILCCO management process and participate in training on the ILCCO sharing system.
- Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri grant ($2,500) — Grant dollars will be used to complete the expansion of the food pantry at Sandburg’s Branch Campus in Carthage into a larger, permanent space in addition to providing supplies and hygiene items for students and Hancock County residents in need. This is the second year of funding from the foundation to support the Branch Campus food pantry.
Marketing services specialist Sherry Morris was sworn in as the staff representative to the Board for 2022-23.
In other business, the Board approved the following:
- Extension of leases with Midwest Transit of two 15-passenger buses for two years at a cost of $13,224 per bus per year.
- Employment of Michael Hagedorn as full-time automotive technology instructor, effective Sept. 1.
- Employment of Cindy Koepp as full-time associate degree nursing instructor, effective Sept. 1.
- Employment of Daniella Irle as athletic director, effective Sept. 1.
- Employment of Ashley Cherrington as onboarding specialist, effective Sept. 1.
- Resignation of Rebecca Eaton as coordinator of library services, effective Sept. 23.
- Resignation of Joseph Luna as director of public safety, effective, Aug. 5.
- Resignation of Lynette Mason as office assistant for math and natural sciences/academic support, effective Aug. 31.
- Resignation of McKenna Weaver as COVID-19 coordinator, effective Aug. 12.
- Resignation of Stephanie Woodard as director of TRIO Upward Bound Math-Science Project, effective Aug. 15.
The Board’s next regular monthly meeting is 7 p.m. Sept. 22 on the Main Campus in Galesburg.
***Courtesy of Carl Sandburg College***
