State grant to help fund CLC expansion
A new science building is coming to the College of Lake County with the help of a grant from the state.
Gov. Pat Quinn announced Tuesday he has approved a $17.8 million grant to the community college to fund the cost of the new science building, and the renovation of the existing science facilities at the Grayslake campus.
Quinn said in a news release the project will create more than 160 construction jobs and allow CLC campus facilities to keep pace with recent enrollment growth.
“This project will prepare the College of Lake County's students for the high-tech jobs of the future, while creating more than a hundred jobs now,” Quinn said in a news release. “The Illinois Jobs Now capital program is creating good jobs throughout our state through major investment in our schools and communities.”
The 70,000-square-foot project will include five new chemistry laboratories, two new microbiology laboratories, three new engineering laboratories and six new classrooms. Money also will go to renovate seven existing laboratories and nine faculty offices, along with utility upgrades, sidewalks, roadways, parking and landscaping.
The state is funding $17.8 million of the project, officials said, while CLC is picking up the remaining $5.8 million.
“We are very grateful for the governor's support of this project, which is so important to helping prepare our students for the science and technology-related careers that will drive tomorrow's economy,” said CLC Board Chairman William M. Griffin.
Project design is scheduled to begin in January, officials said, with shovels hitting the ground in mid-2013. The college expects construction to be completed in 2015.
CLC board members agreed in November to seek a $19 million loan to help fund the planned Grayslake construction project, and upgrades at the Waukegan branch.
The $23.5 million science building on the Grayslake campus is small compared to the nearly $48 million expansion it is completing at the Lakeshore campus in Waukegan.
A state grant is also expected to help cover the cost of the Waukegan expansion, which will include a 72,000-square-foot building for the Lakeshore campus, officials said.
Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now program includes $1.5 billion for higher education, including $788 million for public universities and $400 million for community colleges. The $31 billion program will create 439,000 jobs over six years, officials said.