JWCC trustees hear Workforce Development Center Expansion Project update

QUINCY — During its regular board meeting Wednesday night, the John Wood Community College Board of Trustees received an update on the College’s Workforce Development Center (WDC) Expansion project.  The 14,000 square foot expansion was supported by a $3 million Federal Economic Adjustment Assistance Program grant awarded to JWCC in June 2021. 

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the expansion is set for Wednesday, May 29, at 8:30 a.m. 

“This has been a collaboration among business, industry, and community leaders to leverage Federal dollars to ensure this region has a state-of-the-art training facility,“ JWCC President Bryan Renfro said. “The expansion will help us build on our efforts to keep pace with the evolving technical skills needed to meet the region’s workforce needs.  This means providing customized training to area businesses, upskilling existing workers, and continuing to build a pipeline of students to sustain and grow our region’s industries.”

JWCC’s WDC facility is located at North 42^nd street in Quincy and additions will include a new Truck Driver Training addition, new physical building entrance, HVAC lab, and business and industry training classrooms. A remodel of the current interior of the building includes expanded space for welding, mixed/virtual reality learning, industrial maintenance, robotics, automation, and flexible use space for new programs.

Trustees also recognized students and faculty from JWCC’s Livestock Evaluation Team.  The team captured first place in the Livestock Management two-year college category at the 2024 North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Judging Conference in Twin Falls, Idaho. The same team earned fourth place honors for NACTA’s Knowledge Bowl competition and livestock judging. Team members included Emma Taylor (Murrayville, IL), Laila Beck (Arenzvile, IL), Grayson Tedrow (Payson, IL), Marcus Perry (Mt. Sterling, IL), Abe Welbourne (Pittsfield, IL), Beau Shaffer (Mendon, IL), Sophia Ludwig (Quincy, IL), Wade Allen (Quincy, IL), and Luke Jacquot (Carthage, IL).  JWCC’s Livestock Judging program is directed by Mike Tenhouse, Justin Lewis, and Bethany Beeler.

In other business, Trustees:

• Approved submission of a $100,000 grant to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for a grant for an automatic door lock security project.
• Adopted a taxing body resolution to add territory to the Quincy, Adams, Brown County Enterprise Zone and extend benefits allowed by the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act amending the boundary to include a 40-acre United Alloy property.
• Accepted the lowest bid of $96,562 from Blick’s Construction in Quincy for gravel and grading of the Workforce Development Center truck driving range and road course.
• Approved employment contract for Dr. Bryan Renfro from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2028.
• Approved a resolution adopting the 2024 Adams County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan.

The next meeting will be held Tuesday, June 18, at 6:00 p.m. at the JWCC Quincy campus.