Idea for ECC safety training center gets early OK in Burlington
Village officials in Burlington have made way for Elgin Community College to move forward with its plan to open a regional public safety and sustainability facility.
The village board and planning commission last week backed preliminary conceptual plans for the 118-acre site on Plank Road just east of the village’s downtown area.
“We are ready to start actually designing the site and putting on paper the layout of the buildings and the site,” said Sharon Konny, vice president of business and finance at ECC.
The college presented a conceptual plan, including a “bubble diagram,” showing the basic placement of different facilities on the site. The college and its architects from Arlington Heights-based Tactical Design will now work on specific plans, Konny said.
The property is under contract while the college completes studies, like soil borings, to determine if the land is suitable for the type of construction needed. Zoning for the site must also be approved, Konny said.
Previously, a site on Burlington Road was identified as a possible location for the facility, but Konny said the college and landowner were unable to reach an agreement.
The proposed facility features include classrooms and conference rooms for public safety courses like fire science, criminal justice and emergency medicine, as well as a burn tower and areas for hazardous materials simulations. The facility would also house the college’s truck driving program and a sustainability center that would include a wind turbine to produce much of the facility’s energy needs.
Nancy Hartbottle, attorney for Burlington, said the village’s planning commission awaits the submission of a preliminary plan from the college. That step will include public hearings. The village board would make a final approval that Hartbottle said could come before the end of the year.
That fits in with the college’s timeline, with officials anticipating a groundbreaking in the spring of 2013 and classes starting in the fall of 2014.
“Research shows 80 percent first responders (nationally) receive training at a community college,” Konny said. “We feel they need a current, up-to-date facility to get their training. We hope that this facility satisfies the training needs of folks within District 509 ... and we hope it becomes a training center for the whole region.”
The $18 million facility is part of the college’s facilities master plan, which also includes the Renner Academic Library and Resource Center and the Health and Life Sciences building. Voters in April 2009 supported a $178 million bond referendum to complete the plan.