East Central College   

Month: September 2015

Dept. of Commerce Awards ECC $1.2 Million Grant

September 11, 2015 | Campus News

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.2 million grant to East Central College.  The funds will be used to create the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Training adjacent to ECC’s main campus in Union.

“We are thrilled to receive this federal grant to assist with the renovation of our facility,” noted ECC President Jon Bauer.  “These grant funds, combined with institutional resources and money we plan to raise with the help of the East Central College Foundation, will make it possible for us to transform the building into a first-class center for technical education for the benefit of our students and the regional economy.”

Bauer expressed his thanks and congratulations to all who worked on the grant application. “This work has paid off in a big way and we are excited to move to the next phase of design and renovation,” said Bauer.

EDA’s investment will support ECC’s renovation of the former Gala Center located just southeast of the campus. The college purchased that property in April for $1.2 million. The facility will allow the college to expand its technical education programs in Industrial Engineering Technology and Precision Machining which are currently housed at Four Rivers Career Center in Washington.  The Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning program will also be relocated from the main campus to the renovated space. The Center for Workforce Development, as well as labs and classrooms dedicated to workforce training, are also planned for the renovated facility.

“The grant funds will allow us to convert the existing outdoor courtyard and some other exterior areas into usable interior space, expanding the building from its current square footage of 19,807 to 21,829 square feet,” noted Bauer.  “Without this EDA funding that would not have been possible.”

Bauer said he expects the renovation to begin this fall, with the relocation of the programs expected before the start of the 2016 fall semester classes.

“The Obama Administration is committed to helping communities develop a workforce with the skills needed for 21st-century jobs,” said Secretary Pritzker. “As part of the Department of Commerce’s ‘Skills for Business’ initiative, the EDA grant announced today will support expanded skills training to meet the needs of Missouri’s burgeoning advanced manufacturing industry.”

The increased lab and classroom space will enable more students to be admitted into these high-demand programs. The building will also support the implementation of new, innovative programs such as tooling and die casting, industrial maintenance, and stick and tungsten inert gas welding, along with two new apprenticeship programs in machining and industrial maintenance.

 

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The Economic Development Administration marks 50 years of public service, leading the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.

Trustees Set Tax Levy

September 4, 2015 | Campus News

The tax rate for the East Central College district will remain the same for the upcoming year.  That approval by the ECC board of trustees came following the annual tax levy hearing held at the college Monday, August 31.

The property tax rate for 2015-16 was set at .4541 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.  The tax levy is broken into two categories:  an operating levy of .3700 cents and a debt service levy of .0841 cents.  The operating levy is set at the maximum rate as approved by voters in 2006.  Nine years ago when voters authorized a general obligation bond issue for construction of the health and science building, the college committed to maintaining the debt service levy at its then-current rate.

The operating levy is expected to produce more than $6.3 million in local revenue for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2015.

“The debt service levy adjusts each year according to the college’s schedule of principal and interest payments for existing general obligation bonds,” noted Phil Pena, ECC vice president of finance and administration.   Pena stated that the debt service levy is expected to generate at least $1.5 million in revenue.  However, that revenue can only be used for debt retirement.

The valuation of the taxable property within the junior college district for 2015 is more than $1.6 billion ($1,620,881,736), a decrease of more than $37 million from 2014.  $1,287,211,914 is in real estate assessed valuation, and $333,669,822 in personal property.

No citizens appeared before the board to comment on the proposed tax rate.  The levy hearing was held prior to the regular monthly meeting of the board.

The college’s taxing district takes in approximately 1,000 square miles and includes the major portion of Franklin County and smaller portions of Crawford, Gasconade, St. Charles, Warren and Washington Counties.

Trustees Approve Roofing Bid and Personnel

East Central College trustees accepted a roofing bid and approved a number of personnel matters at their August 31 meeting.

Money provided by capital improvement bonds from the State of Missouri will cover the cost of replacing the roof of the Training Center on the ECC campus in Union.  Board members accepted the low bid of $184,886.64 from Bade Roofing in St. Louis to replace the roof put on when the building was constructed in 2000.  Phil Pena, vice president of finance and administration at ECC, noted that the roof is beyond its life, primarily due to earlier foundation problems which caused movement and shifting of the roof materials and decking.

The specification and bid management was conducted by E & I Cooperative Services, a state sponsored and approved service authorized under the state purchasing program which provides the college discounts negotiated by the state.  Pena noted that work will be done this fall and should not impact building usage or occupancy.

The project includes removing the existing ballast, TPO roofing and flashing, and non-used curbs and equipment.  Roofing materials will be replaced and metal flashing and ballast will be reinstalled.  Repairs will be made around mechanical equipment and the building will be brought up to current energy codes.  The bid stipulated a 20 year warranty.

Bids were also received from three other companies and ranged from $185,801 to $231,584.

Personnel

Members of the board approved several full-time appointments and resignations.

David Owens was hired as librarian.  Since 2008 he has been employed at A.T. Still Memorial Library in Kirksville as public services manager.  Owens attended Truman State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.  He completed a master’s degree in library and information science at San Jose State University in California.

The new student activities coordinator is Courtney Henrichsen.  She received her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Saint Louis University.  For the past two years she worked in residential life at UMSL.

Laura McDonald will serve as a new nursing instructor at ECC in Rolla.  McDonald earned her associate degree in nursing from Lincoln University.  She continued her studies at Central Methodist University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in nursing.  McDonald is pursuing her master’s in nursing at CMU.

Since 2009 McDonald has worked as an RN at Mercy Ambulatory Surgery Center in Rolla.  She has been an adjunct nursing instructor for ECC since 2013.

Rachel Howard was hired as retention coordinator, a temporary assignment through next June 30.  She attended Missouri Baptist University where she completed bachelor’s degrees in psychology, early education and elementary education as well as a master’s degree in counselor education.

Howard has been an adjunct instructor at ECC and Missouri Baptist for several years.  She worked for the Meramec Valley School District from 2002 to 2007, spending one year as a kindergarten teacher and four years as school counselor at Zitzman Elementary.

Trustees accepted the resignations of three employees:  Casey Reid, director of developmental education; Elizabeth Long, nursing instructor; and Shirley Hofstetter, director of financial services.

Employment of 133 part-time instructors for the 2015 fall semester was also approved.