LINN — At the State Tech Board of Regents meeting last Thursday, President Dr. Shawn Strong reported that the college has the highest graduation rate in the country among two-year schools at 73%. Dr. Strong said the college began the fall semester with an increase of approximately 5% in enrollment and tuition revenue, marking another year of record enrollment for the college. 

Regents voted to proceed with building a 100-foot by 400-foot Heavy Equipment Operation equipment building, with cost not to exceed $1 million. The cost of the building is $694,316.08, which board members felt was reasonable. The additional amount will cover site work and concrete.

“This is for two purposes, to, one, provide some shelter for all this new equipment that we’re going to get, and also to give them a place to operate,” Dr. Strong explained. “It’s a 100 by 400 building, so it’s a fairly large building, with three open bays on each side, as the ends will be open.”

State Tech is buying the building directly from manufacturer ClearSpan Structures. The design has been reviewed by an engineer from Toth and Associates of Springfield, who will also design the footings after receiving the necessary information. The college will hire someone to pour the footings, after which, ClearSpan Structures will install the building. “So, our goal would be to have this building done by May of next year,” Dr. Strong said.

Regents asked numerous questions about the design and potential for future upgrades, before deciding to proceed. “We’ve got a master plan that we’re implementing very, very quickly to prepare for the expansion of the Heavy Equipment Operations Program,” Dr. Strong said.

Dr. Strong also spoke of the successful completion of Safety Village.