Construction of the new Iowa Central Community College campus in Storm Lake is officially underway.
A ceremonial groundbreaking for the new campus was held on Thursday morning. Representatives from Iowa Central, Storm Lake United, and more were on hand to dig golden shovels into the dirt and celebrate the expansion and consolidation of Storm Lake’s facilities into one location. Iowa Central Storm Lake students currently take their classes at three separate locations including the AEA Building, Storm Lake High School, and Buena Vista University campus.
The new Iowa Central Community College site is located adjacent to the Iowa Central Training Center on the north side of Storm Lake. The new two-story building will feature 16 classrooms, an academic resource center, and a testing center. The new center will allow Iowa Central to offer additional programs such as welding, electrical and manufacturing, and certified nurse aide courses. It will also serve as a career academy for five area school districts, host Community Education and English Language Learners courses at night, and serve as a center for local companies to train employees.
Storm Lake Campus Director Chris Cleveland said the new campus will be a positive link between the college and the Storm Lake Community.
“I believe this will have a positive impact on the community as a whole,” said Cleveland. “We are here for the community, and a big thing for us is that we will be able to offer everything from our ELL classes to customized programs for business and industry in our community to train, teach, develop and re-develop skills.”
“We believe in the communities we serve,” said Iowa Central President, Dr. Jesse Ulrich. “This will be a community space where we will train the people who serve your community every day from those who are learning English Language to those who will become the skilled laborers.”
Crews have been working at the site since late March. Construction of the new Iowa Central campus in Storm Lake is expected to be complete by August of 2024.
