ROCKFORD (WREX) — Rock Valley College's board of trustees voted Thursday night to put the future Advanced Technology Center at Big Thunder Mall in Belvidere after an hours-long discussion.
The vote comes after more than two years after the college made an agreement with the city of Rockford to use the Barber-Colman site. RVC pulled out of that location last October, signaling it wanted to go into the Rockford Register Star News Tower.
Then in April, the college put out a request for proposal for a location. It then narrowed those 21 proposals to 3: the Stenstrom Center at RVC, the Rockford Airport or Big Thunder Mall in Belvidere.
"My preference is Belvidere, not because it's easy but because I believe it is the right decision," said Board Chairperson Patrick Murphy.
Before the vote took place Thursday night, RVC Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson, Bob Trojan, said he is also in favor Belvidere's Big Thunder Mall.
"Not only is the pricing much better [in Belvidere] but a good partnership already exists with the school districts there," Trojan said. "And I am told there is a high percentage of graduates from Belvidere, Boone and North Boone that do in fact go to Rock Valley College.
"The fact that Belvidere students will be able to earn 14 to 16 credits towards a mechatronics degree while they are still attending high school," said Chairperson Murphy. "We have a lot of campuses, a lot of buildings, a lot of resources. One hundred percent of what we have brick-and-mortar has been dedicated to Rockford. Maybe it's time to include some other tax payers into that and into another county," said Murphy.
However, according to data obtained by 13 WREX Thursday night, Boone County students make up just 16 percent of RVC's enrollment in 2019. Students from Rockford make up 48 percent of RVC's enrollment. A total of 10,000 students were enrolled at RVC in 2019.
Winnebago County Board Chairman weighs in on the decision saying, "Congrats to Mayor Chamberlin, Chairman Johnson, and our partners in Belvidere. They came together and put forward a solid solution and have our support going forward."
"I remain disappointed in the RVC chairman and the developer who used misinformation to blow-up the initial Barber Colman partnership. There is no excuse for how that went down," said Chairman Haney.
Rock Valley College hopes to open the ATC in June of next year. That's one year after its original goal. The board still has to sign a contract and a deal. That has no yet been announced.
This is a developing story.
Breane Lyga
Above is from: https://wrex.com/2020/06/18/trustees-pick-belvidere-for-site-of-rock-valley-colleges-advanced-technology-center/
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Anger, frustration after Rock Valley College chooses Belvidere for new facility
Posted: Jun 19, 2020 / 05:10 PM CDT / Updated: Jun 19, 2020 / 05:10 PM CDT
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rock Valley College’s new Advanced Technology Center could be headed to Boone County, and some Rockford residents aren’t happy about it.
The RVC Board of Trustees voted 5 to 2 last night in favor of Belvidere School District’s site proposal. It was one of three finalists, including Chicago Rockford International Airport and the Stenstrom Center.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and Fifth Ward Alderwoman Venita Harvey said Friday that they’d been fielding calls and emails all day from those not happy with the decision.
“It’s a shame that RVC has moved so far away from the populations who need it the most,” McNamara said. “If you’re fortunate enough to own a vehicle, it will take you 25 minutes from downtown to get there, and it’s certainly not accessible to those individuals who have been historically underserved.”
Harvey agreed, saying, “I thought that Rock Valley had really given it some thought and consideration, and decided to embrace Rockford’s urban core. That’s gone.”
RVC Board Chairman Patrick Murphy said the prospect of working closely with the Belvidere School District, which would save them about $4 million and expand the college’s reach, made Belvidere the right choice.
“In the end, I think there’s a partnership. There’s a cost factor to it. And then, there’s also the regional thinking,” he said. “Unfortunately, many people think that Rock Valley College serves only Rockford, but they’re less than 50% of our constituents, and we do not have any facilities outside the city.”
Murphy said the goal is to have the ATC open for classes in 2021, at the Big Thunder Mall.
He also said money saved from choosing the Belvidere location could go toward programs to help improve the graduation rate of Rockford Public School students.
Above is from: https://www.mystateline.com/news/anger-frustration-after-rock-valley-college-chooses-belvidere-for-new-facility/
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Belvidere leaders respond to RVC’s Advanced Technology Center
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June 19, 202011:31 pmCassandra BretlNEWS,TOP NEWS STORIES,TOP STORIES
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ROCKFORD (WREX) — Belvidere will become home to Rock Valley College's multi-million dollar Advanced Technology Center. City leaders say the location serves more than just those in Boone County.
What used to be a Shopko at Big Thunder Mall in Belvidere will become RVC's Advanced Technology Center. Something Belvidere School District 100 says can provide students with learning and job seeking opportunities.
"Having an advanced technology center here in the region I think will increase the number of students that not only enter college but go to specifically Rock Valley College," said Belvidere CUSC 100 Superintendent Daniel Woestman.
Woestman says when writing the ATC proposal, he wanted to make sure the goals the college had were met. One of those goals included providing opportunities for underprivileged communities.
"Our student population here in Belvidere, about 50 percent of them live in poverty and so we really think that our population not only here in Boone County but also in the region are going to be served greatly by having an accessible advanced technology center," said Woestman.
An economic development company in Belvidere says a goal is to connect to resources inside and outside of Boone County.
"We have a lot of really great partnerships with FCA [Assembly Plant]. We have the Manga of course, General Mills. There is just a lot of opportunity there," said Growth Dimensions Business Enterprise Manager Heather Wick.
"Belvidere and the Boone County area have four times the national average in manufacturing jobs so it's a really strong part of our economy here," said Woestman.
"I just see partnerships for miles and miles," said Wick.
Room to grow to create bright futures for students.
Boone County Board Chairman Karl Johnson released a statement to 13 WREX saying, "Manufacturing is the backbone of Boone County’s economy, and our entire community is aligned with the College’s commitment to workforce development."
Above is from: https://wrex.com/2020/06/19/belvidere-leaders-respond-to-rvcs-advanced-technology-center/
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RVC Tech Center in Belvidere?
ROCKFORD (WREX) — Rock Valley College has narrowed down its options for its new technology center.
After receiving 21 proposals for the site, the school announced three finalists for its Advanced Technology Center:- Belvidere CUSD 100, Big Thunder Mall, Belvidere
- Greater Rockford Airport Authority, Rockford Airport, Rockford
- Stenstrom, Stenstrom Center for Career Education, Rockford
The RVC Board and administration will now meet with representatives from each of the three finalists to begin negotiations and determine the best fit for the RVC District 511 community.
RVC says the goal of the ATC is to target individuals seeking to further their high school education and job opportunities through an education steeped in the latest technology.
“Our board and staff have vetted the proposals submitted by a wide variety of potential bidders on our Advanced Technology Center and we have narrowed those proposals down to three prospective bids,” said RVC Board Chairman Patrick Murphy. “We have followed the criteria that we laid out in our RFP down to three locations. We want to thank all of those who submitted very professional proposals.”
RVC has seen some setbacks with the ATC in the past year, with high profile locations falling through, including the Barber Colman Village on Main St.
Shortly after, the school announced it was looking at a deal the Rockford Register Star news tower. However, not all of the RVC Board Members were on board with that plan. Then in April of this year, the college announced it was taking proposals for the building, saying it would be "cost prohibitive" for the college to only pursue the Register Star news tower site.
Rock Valley College District 511 includes all or part of Boone, DeKalb, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties.
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