A barn dating back to the 1940’s at Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) in Oglesby will be demolished, with a new agriculture building going up in its place thanks to capital project money released Sept. 11 by the Illinois Office of Management and Budget.
$164,790 from the state with $60,210 coming from local funding will be used to construct an equipment storage building for the IVCC Agriculture Program along with laboratory space for field experiments. The project also includes demolishing an existing old dairy barn that is not suitable for storage or laboratory work.
“IVCC plays such an important role in the region, providing tremendous educational value for students,” State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) said. “This year’s state budget, which I supported, invests more in higher education, and this project at IVCC is long overdue. The new building will certainly play a role in helping attract and keep more students interested in agriculture from Illinois here, and it will help them better prepare for their career. With agriculture as the state’s number one economic driver, this is also a smart investment.”
In total, $150 million is being invested in capital improvements for community colleges across the state.