T-R FILE PHOTO The Iowa Valley Community College District Board of Directors approved plans for new MCC science labs. Bids for the project will be opened on Jan. 28 and approved Feb. 12.

The Iowa Valley Community College Board of Directors approved some of the plans for science labs on the Marshalltown Community College (MCC) campus. The labs will be renovated space in the main building.

MCC Provost Matt Schmit said that currently, they only have the layout and technical specifications. The rooms to be renovated will be 507, 509 and 511, along with associated adjacent support spaces. He said work will include associated mechanical, electrical and plumbing, and the demolition of a small greenhouse on the exterior of room 509.

“The project is set to begin in May 2025, and conclude November of 2025,” Schmit said.

He said the project will be paid for by the IVCCD bond referendum. Voters in Marshall, Butler, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Poweshiek, Story and Tama counties approved the $32 million referendum in 2019.

The community college would use the referendum to:

• Renovate STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — classrooms and labs;

• Improve the MCC library, the Student Success Center, on-campus lighting and internet connectivity. The library and Student Success Center renovations have been completed;

• Remodel the conference center and workforce training space;

• Upgrade security, HVAC and electrical systems and technical infrastructures, which has been completed, and;

• Update dorms, built in 1964 and 1970, which would add capacity.

During the December IVCCD board meeting, he said the estimated total cost of the labs is $1.2 million, which would include expenses such as technology and furniture.

According to Schmit, the new labs represent a significant advancement in the institution’s commitment to providing students with state of the art facilities for hands-on learning and research.

“The upgraded labs are designed to foster an interactive and immersive learning experience, allowing students to engage with scientific concepts more effectively,” Schmit said. “This and other modernization of learning spaces reflects MCC’s ongoing investment in its academic programs. It is part of our broader strategy to maintain a high standard of education and attract students from a variety of backgrounds who are interested in pursuing careers in the sciences.”

Bids for the science lab project will be opened at the Jan. 28 and approved at the Feb. 12 board meetings.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

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