New student center part of CLC proposed master plan
College of Lake County officials are studying several versions of a proposed, updated facilities master plan that would include a new student center, better technology and additional classrooms at the main campus in Grayslake.
Vice President for Administrative Affairs David Agazzi said school officials, Chicago-based Legat Architects and community representatives on a committee have collaborated on the master plan since June 2010.
“Tonight is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people,” Agazzi said before a recent presentation on the facilities ideas to CLC board members.
Officials said having a master plan for future facility needs assists in how decisions are made about allocating financial resources. There are no specific financial commitments for projects in the proposed plan other than the science building on the Grayslake campus.
CLC students and others in the campus community will have an opportunity to view materials on the school’s website and provide feedback on the options starting Monday and lasting through Oct. 28. The updated document may be finalized in January and up for a vote by CLC trustees next spring.
The plan’s stated goal, in part, is to be focused on the students while increasing use of existing space at the flagship campus in Grayslake, Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan and Southlake Campus in Vernon Hills.
Although there are three options for what the new student center would look like, plans call for it to include a bookstore, testing facility, food service and general commons area, said architect Steven Brubaker.
CLC’s main campus also would be in line for 20 to 25 new classrooms. Agazzi said the proposed master plan suggests all classrooms should be upgraded to have fiber optics and potentially a wireless router in each.
“We need to respond to the growing mobile economy,” Agazzi said.
Another element in the master plan is a proposed $23.5 million, nearly 70,000-square-foot science building on the Grayslake campus. The project would entail 42,568 square feet in new construction, with the balance from renovations in an existing science area.
CLC officials recently made a financial commitment to the structure, based on the expectation $17.6 million or 75 percent of the estimated construction cost would come from the state.
Brubaker presented various ideas that have been formed on improving Lakeshore Campus in downtown Waukegan, which include library expansion, a full complement of student services and a culinary/hospitality program with a restaurant.
One option is construction of a spherical glass building that would make the Waukegan campus a “destination,” Brubaker said. That idea caught the attention of some CLC board members.
“It will put Waukegan on the map,” CLC Trustee Amanda Howland said.
At Southlake in Vernon Hills, it’s recommended that a pedestrian drop-off area be created and any expansion occur on the campus’ north side.
CLC’s last made significant revisions to the facilities plan in 2003. It received an update in 2006.