They ask governor, lawmakers to help build dorms, training facilities
JEFF GEARINO Southwest Wyoming bureau | Posted: Thursday, August 30, 2007 12:00 am
ROCK SPRINGS - Wyoming community college administrators say current and future workers will need in-state training for skilled, high-paying jobs in new industries, especially in light of an increasingly tight labor pool in the state.
To achieve that goal, they say they need new facilities to train students and more dormitories to put those students in.
With that in mind, the Wyoming Community College Commission decided Wednesday to recommend the Legislature appropriate about $63 million to help fund a variety of top-priority college construction projects.
The funding would pay for much-needed student housing on three campuses, officials said. It would also allow construction of several new facilities for work force training and energy development technical programs.
If the money is approved by lawmakers, the colleges will be required to match the state's capital construction appropriation.
The request for state funding to pay for new buildings, dorms and classrooms marks the second year in a row that community college officials have decided to seek state general funds to pay for large construction projects. Traditionally, college construction projects have been financed through local property taxes or bond issues.
The shift in policy comes at the behest of Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who is actively seeking to expand the work force training role of Wyoming community colleges.
With only one four-year state university in Wyoming, the seven community colleges play a key role in secondary education. Roughly one-third of the state's high school graduates who go on to college attend community colleges.
In a significant change last year, the Legislature appropriated $30 million to help pay for three community college construction projects, including an $18 million technical education center in Gillette and a $7 million health sciences building in Cheyenne.
On Wednesday, the commission heard presentations from all seven colleges seeking a total of $108 million in state funding for 10 projects.
The commission scored the projects and then ranked them by priority before deciding to recommend eight projects in a $63 million supplemental budget request that will be forwarded to the governor.
Those projects include new residence halls for Sheridan and Gillette colleges and at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, and new work force training facilities at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, Casper College and at Central Wyoming College in Riverton.
The commission decided to not recommend the most costly construction proposal from Laramie County Community College. That college sought $43 million for an 850-seat performing and fine arts facility in Cheyenne.
Housing needs
Administrators said student housing continues to be a critical issue for community colleges as enrollment grows.
Western Vice President Ken Fitschen said the need for student housing is particularly vital in areas including southwest Wyoming, where an influx of oil and gas industry workers has created a full-blown housing shortage in Rock Springs.
Western plans to start construction shortly on a 48-bed residence hall. Fitschen asked the commission to recommend spending $4.4 million for another 48-bed residence hall, which the board did.
He said the lack of housing at Western is severely limiting the college's ability to train and educate students and noted the college has experienced long waiting lists for dorm rooms for several years.
"We're in a real crisis (because) the energy boom has made affordable housing no longer affordable in town … so off-campus living is no longer available," Fitschen told commissioners.
"We have programs that students can't get into because they have no place to live," he said. "Housing for us … represents access to (new industrial/technical programs) and the opportunity for (Wyoming students) to capture some of those high-paying jobs."
Central President Jo Anne McFarland said housing at the college in Riverton is basically full this fall semester. She noted the college built a new residence hall in 2002 that is already filled, in part due to a 10 percent expected increase in enrollment this year.
"We've got extremely crowded conditions … We're doubling up students in rooms even in our new facilities," McFarland said. "If we're going to put students (in new programs), then we must have places to put them, and that housing is just not available now."
The commission recommended an appropriation of $4 million to the college for a new, 72-bed residence hall.
The commission also recommended $6 million for the Northern Wyoming Community College District to help pay for a new 15-bed residence hall in Sheridan and a 100-bed dorm for the Gillette College campus.
Northern President Kevin Drumm said student housing is in such short supply that the college tried unsuccessfully to buy a local hotel earlier this year to help alleviate the situation.
Other projects recommended for funding include $10 million to Casper College for a new Training and Development Center and $11 million for an Applied Science and Technology building at Northwest College in Powell.
Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.