May 08, 2008 09:58 pm
—
Community leaders gathered last week for a ceremony marking a major milestone in Logansport’s history.
Officials were breaking ground on a new campus of Ivy Tech Community College.
Construction on the 81,000-square-foot facility will begin before the end of the month. The $16.6 million project will involve 14 construction contracts, three of which have already been awarded. The remaining contracts will be awarded on May 16.
Plans call for the college to begin holding classes in the new building by January 2010.
When completed, the structure will hold 11 classrooms, three computer labs, several specialty labs, a library, a fitness center, bookstore, commons area, community hall and administrative offices.
Steve Daily, the chancellor for Ivy Tech Region 5 in Kokomo, said the community’s success in landing the new campus was a testament to bipartisan cooperation. He pointed to Loganport’s Democratic mayor, Mike Fincher, and to two Republican lawmakers, Sen. Tom Weatherwax and Rep. Rich McClain.
Fincher, in particular, has been credited with leading the charge. At last week’s ceremony, he asked the crowd for quiet.
“If you stop and listen real closely,” he said, “the sound you hear off in the distance is Logansport and Cass County starting to turn the corner. We’re headed in a new direction.”
This new campus is a huge step toward a brighter future for Logansport and Cass County. A college campus is a great addition to any community. It enriches the community fabric.
Local residents find it easier to get training to help them keep the jobs they have or find a new one. And students just out of high school will have a chance to get the first two years of college out of the way without ever leaving home.
Situated off Main Street near the Hoosier Heartland Highway, the campus is destined to become the city’s new front door. It will welcome visitors to the city, and it will herald a bright, new future for Logansport.
– Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, and Kokomo Tribune
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