Improvements Underway For Indian Hills

August 11th, 2022

Mahaska County, Iowa – A recent bond referendum was voted on and approved to provide funding for the modernization and expansion of Indian Hills Community College.

Indian Hills President Matt Thompson recently sat down with Oskaloosa News to update how the money is being spent and the progress underway on those upgrades.

The projects that are or will include updates to fine arts, student amenities, criminal justice, and ag science on the Ottumwa campus, while in Centerville, the construction of an academic building that replaces temporary structures that were put in place during the 1970s.

Thompson said that the college would have the first of its projects done in August: the virtual technology classrooms for all 19 school districts they serve.

“We hope it’ll allow students to advance their education while in high school,” Thompson explained.

The value of virtual learning advanced during the pandemic, and the new technology that helps makes that happen, and students can minimize drive time and save fuel. “It opens up all lecture-based courses for students to be able to take from their area high school.”

“I think it’s going to create a lot more opportunity in our area high schools,” Thompson added.

Thompson also explained that they recently met with their architects to finalize plans for the north campus area and anticipate that project going out for bid in October or November.

That space will help Indian Hills become one of the few law enforcement training facilities in the state.

Thompson hopes those new facilities will be completed in the late spring of 2023.

The benefit for area law enforcement agencies is it helps departments keep new officers in the area, helping them ultimately retain more of those recruits to the area.

The Centerville project has also went out to bid, but the bids came back well over the projected cost of 21 million dollars. So a special board meeting had them reject the bids to find a better opportunity to rebid the project.

“We’ve got a great board. I’m so thankful to have people that have given us the guidance and governance,” Thompson said.

The hope is to have that facility in Centerville open in the fall of 2024.

“So we continue to appreciate that we’re in the position to be doing these projects. Now we hope that you know, we can make sure that we get pricing where it allows us to get the projects done in a meaningful way, and without as much delay as possible,” Thompson added.

Thompson said he knows the projects and the education they will bring to the students and communities in the area have an impact on the people and business. “I want to get them done as quickly as possible, but every once in a while, I just gotta sit back and understand that I can’t, I don’t control the economy by any means.”