By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rock Valley College is progressing its plans to open a new downtown campus within the next two years.
The college purchased a cluster of buildings for nearly $1 million in early 2023 near Chestnut Street and Rockton Avenue and Winnebago Street for the future home of what it will call its Downtown West Campus. This fall and winter, it’s progressing with demolition efforts in hopes of breaking ground on new buildings by March.
The goal is to complete the $52 million construction project in time to welcome students to the campus in August 2026.
The new campus is intended to expand the college’s presence on the city’s west side and create easier access to education for residents in that area of the city.
“A lot of times people don’t feel they have opportunity, but when it’s in their own backyard or neighborhood so to speak, then they’re more likely to think of a goal as being realistic,” said Howard Spearman, president and CEO of Rock Valley College. “It’s taking away some of the barriers that will get them to campus.”
Right now, the college occupies a second floor space in the Iconic Energy building, the former Rockford Register Star at 99 E. State St., which it would move out of once the new campus opens.
The college held an open house on Tuesday night at the District 1 police station to showcase some of the renderings of the future campus and answer questions about the plans for the project.
The campus is being designed by Demonica Kemper Architects and Ringland-Johnson is the construction manager.
The plan calls for two buildings, a learning center for traditional classroom space and a training center for career and technical education.
The Downtown West campus will be home to automotive technology classes including electric vehicle repair and collision repair. There will also be criminal justice, adult education and GED, refugee and immigrant services, truck driver training, early childhood education programs and human services.
“Education opens up opportunity. It opens up hope,” Spearman said. “That’s the reason why the west-side community has been asking for a college to commit to the west side.”
The campus will focus on serving non-traditional students and adult learners with credited and non-credited classes.
“The key here is wherever you’re at in your educational journey, you can start here or you can continue here,” Spearman said.
Rock Valley works with about 1,000 students annually in GED programs, English as a second language and adult education. It also helps with citizenship classes.
“When you talk about our mission of lifelong learning, I really mean it when I say we’re helping every step of the way,” Spearman said. “From citizenship to English as a second language to earning your GED, understanding what that exposure to higher education means. Then they can come to campus for associate of arts degree that would be a gateway to a livable wage job or to another degree or bachelor’s degree.”
The project will be funded through the sale of bonds. However, the college’s total debt is expected to stay flat as other debt payments expire, according to Ellen Olson, chief financial officer for Rock Valley.
That means property taxpayers shouldn’t expect any increase as a result of the construction project.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas