In June 2007, and again in February 2018, voters in nine Iowa counties approved a series of general obligation bonds to expand facilities and programming at Iowa Central Community College.

Now the college is seeking voter approval for a $35 million bonding to pay for a new Ag Science Center on its Fort Dodge campus, and expand instruction and learning across its curriculum.

The measure will be on the November 4 election ballot.

The three buildings of Iowa Central’s Webster City campus were built between 1976 and 1988.

Although in generally good condition, the bond issue would provide funds to upgrade the building’s energy efficiency. Plans call for improved insulation, new windows, and improved HVAC systems. The original, tiny restrooms, would be reconfigured to meet ADA — Americans with Disabilities Act — accessibility standards.

The largest amount from the bonding, an estimated $18 million would be spent on a new 50,000-square foot Center for Ag Science at the northeast corner of U.S. Highway 169 and Kenyon Road on the main Fort Dodge campus.

Some readers will remember this as the site of the former Budget Host Inn, which closed in 2018. The two-story Ag Center will house all Iowa Central vocational agriculture programs, including agribusiness, animal science, precision agriculture and veterinary science.

An estimated $2 million would be spent to reconfigure the layout and upgrade the electrical system of the Applied Science and Technology Building at center campus in Fort Dodge. Dental hygiene and HVAC, plumbing and refrigeration classes will benefit from the improved facilities.

According to information provided by Iowa Central, the new bonds are technically a tax levy renewal, and taxpayers will not see an increase in taxes earmarked for support of the college. Iowa Central says a typical property owner in Hamilton County pays an average $25 per year to support Iowa Central. That will not change with a vote in favor of the bond issue.

An estimated 2,000 students across Iowa Central’s nine-county region take college-level classes while still in high school. These programs give students planning to enroll in the college’s career and technical training majors a head start toward their degrees; those expecting to transfer to four-year colleges and universities gain important tuition savings for themselves and their families.

Iowa Central’s student body presently numbers 6,000, which includes both full-time and part-time students. The college employs 1,200.