Kish College board forming campus master plan
By KATE SCHOTT kschott@daily-chronicle.com
MALTA – Parking vehicles on the grass this semester at Kishwaukee College was only a temporary solution.
An influx of students – the Malta-based community college has its highest enrollment ever this semester – left the school without enough parking. Hence the creation of some nontraditional parking spaces.
And the school is in the process of turning its tennis courts – no longer used since the college’s team disbanded a few years ago – into additional parking for the winter, when snow will make it impractical to park on the grass.
The parking shortage is just one reason the school is putting together a campus master plan for the next few decades, Kishwaukee College President Tom Choice said. There are other areas administrators would like to improve too: The bookstore, counseling and copy centers could all be bigger. And the music and art facilities could be improved, as could the outdoor athletic facilities, Choice said.
“In some areas, it’s a step down when they come to us,” he said of traditional-aged students, who may have better sports facilities at their high schools. “That’s not good for us if they think, ‘Wow, this is worse than my high school baseball field.’”
Plus, the Illinois Community College Board has required all community colleges in the state to have a campus master plan. But the Kishwaukee board started its talks about campus space in 2007, Choice said, with a task force assigned to look into needs.
Having a plan has practical aspects too, Choice said. The north parking lot, for instance, needs to be resurfaced. But they are not going to do that now, he said, if in five years a building will go up there.
“Let’s be strategic in what we do, and not spend money twice,” he said.
It makes sense to spend a “reasonable amount of money now” to plan for the future, Kishwaukee College Board President Robert Johnson said, so future boards and staffs have a framework for decisions. He estimated the master plan has cost about $60,000, with about half of that coming from a grant to the school’s foundation earmarked for capital projects.
The board has sited utility lines and tested soil throughout the 120 acre campus to find the best places to build, Choice said. And they are looking at the possibility of expanding the campus footprint either to the north or the west, although Choice emphasized he doesn’t even know whether the school would be able to acquire any nearby land.
Board members are now in the process of determining what they want campus to look like. There is consensus, Choice and Johnson said, to create a “ring road” – a road that circles all the buildings and would be an entrance into all parking lots. That would mean pedestrians would not have to cross traffic to get to class, as they do now.
Another priority would be the creation of a Student Life building that would house counseling, a union and activities, Choice said. The school would then renovate the spaces those offices currently occupy for more classroom space. The Criminal Justice program, for instance, would like a lab for the forensics portion of its curriculum, Choice said.
They also would like a “front door” to the campus, Choice said, a place that says, “You have entered Kishwaukee College.” Other ideas include more academic buildings and a field house.
“It is exciting,” Choice said. “Even if we don’t get started on it for a few years, at least we know where we are going. We have a road map.”
It’s too early to estimate costs, Choice said, although the board is talking about how they might pay for millions of dollars of improvements. That could include money the school already has, increasing tuition or a referendum.
Choice said no decision has been made regarding funding yet. Whatever is decided, the board has expressed a desire to not raise taxes, Choice said.
“We want to spend their money wisely,” agreed Johnson. “My dad was on the original board that found land to build the college on. Kishwaukee College has been a good investment for the community. We want to be good stewards of taxpayer and student dollars.”
The board hopes to make a decision in December or January, Johnson said.
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