CVTC to expand Gateway, buys River Falls land

The Chippewa Valley Technical College Board last week approved a 10,000-square-foot addition to its Manufacturing Education Center at the Gateway Campus.

According to a CVTC news release, the academic programs at the Manufacturing Education Center have seen a surge in enrollments. From 2006 to 2010, full-time enrollment has risen 25 percent at the center.

The expansion will allow CVTC to introduce a new, two-year welding program and also provide flexibility to accommodate changes and expansions in the Industrial Mechanic, Electromechanical Technology and Machine Tooling Technics programs.

State board approval is expected to occur in January, with construction starting this coming spring. The project will be completed by the start of the 2011 fall semester. The addition is projected to cost about $1.5 million.

In addition, the CVTC Board has reached an agreement with Moody's Inc. to purchase 3.16 acres of land immediately adjacent to its River Falls campus.The purchase price is $375,000.

"Securing this land is extremely important to the future of the college and to the River Falls area. We continue to experience strong student growth and an increasing demand for more program options," said CVTC President Bruce Barker, who added, "While the college has no immediate plans for construction, this purchase will allow us to add programs, classrooms and labs that are most beneficial to the local economy". TBL