Kirkwood Community College’s bond issue aims to update industrial and technology training spaces that college leaders say are limiting enrollment. The college is seeking approval of an $88 million bond issue on the Nov. 3 ballot, with a proposed $46 million renovation of Jones Hall at the center of the plan, according to The Gazette’s report.
Jones Hall houses programs in welding, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, electrical engineering and other industrial technologies. Students train on systems that are losing ground to technically superior, real-world equipment, while welding students work in an industrial lab with limited ventilation and circulation.
“We see a shortage, specifically, of lab spaces for students to use,” said Joe Greathouse, dean of Kirkwood’s Industrial Technologies department. Many of the programs require hands-on work, he said, making additional lab space important to instruction.
Kirkwood has tried to stretch available space through an open-lab model. Students can schedule time to complete coursework when it is convenient instead of attending a designated class period. That approach has not met demand: Greathouse said more than 200 students who wanted to enter a program this fall could not get in.
Some students who are turned away do not apply again, he said. Because the programs have a single start, students who miss entry may wait a year. The college’s space constraints and the number of students served by its 10 industrial technology and trade programs are central to the referendum.
Bond Issue Aims to Update Multiple Campuses
If voters approve the measure, Kirkwood would repay the bonds over 15 years. The report estimates the cost at around $10 more a year in property taxes on a home assessed at $100,000, or about $2 a month on a $200,000 home.
The $46 million Jones Hall project would be the largest part of the proposed spending. The college also aims to spend $22 million on remodeled Nielsen and Benton halls, with updated business and information technology classrooms, computer labs and learning spaces. A separate report on a digital technologies conference offers another example of coverage focused on technology programs and their academic settings.
About $12 million is planned for Linn Hall and health and simulation spaces, reflecting current health care practices and industry standards, according to the report. Kirkwood also proposes a new $3.5 million agriculture machinery shop. The shop would provide temporary space for programs and equipment during Jones Hall construction, then continue as a learning environment and equipment storage for the college’s agriculture operations.
Another $4.5 million would go across campus to refresh high-use classrooms with new furniture, lighting, power access, instructional technology and safety features. College officials said those changes would support student engagement, instructional effectiveness and campus safety. A separate survey story about technology investments examines how organizations assess technology spending, while Kirkwood’s proposal sets out specific campus projects.
Voters Would Decide the Proposed Work
The referendum would appear in Kirkwood’s seven primary counties: Linn, Johnson, Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Jones and Washington. It would also reach portions of 11 other counties because the college boundary follows K-12 school district boundaries that sometimes cross county lines. Passage requires a 60% supermajority.
Kirkwood President Kristie Fisher said industry executives praise the college’s faculty and students but tell her its facilities and equipment need to catch up. She said major work of this kind would be difficult without a bond issue.
Fisher said the college’s priorities are the industrial technology programs, business and information technology classrooms, health sciences spaces and agriculture machinery shop. She said Kirkwood believes $3 million to $5 million may remain for other high-demand learning spaces. The college plans to identify those rooms and labs while the larger projects are underway. The coverage of a technology-related speaker series provides related reading on institutions connecting education with industry, while voters will decide whether Kirkwood’s proposed projects move forward.
