Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Dennis Mackey, the basketball coach at Gogebic Community College, introduces members of the men's and women's teams at the GCC Board meeting on Tuesday.
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood Township - A redesign of the Lindquist Student Conference Center will not include the existing swimming pool, following a decision of the Gogebic Community College Board of Trustees on Tuesday.
The Trustees 5-2 approved the administration's recommendation to close the pool permanently and to authorize the college to research options to develop the space for future use.
"If we were to repurpose the space, a number of academic programs could exist in the pool area," said George McNulty, GCC president. "Three possible program options that would work well are physical therapy assistant, occupational therapy assistant, and adventure education."
Studies show the health programs are in demand and produce high-paying jobs, he said. Adventure Education could make GCC a destination college by combining indoor and outdoor physical activities as careers in outdoor recreation, sustainable tourism, education, and nature, he said.
The pool was a valuable school and community resource that declined in demand and would require making it a priority project to repair and re-open, he said. The recommendation was based on engineering reports, surveys, workshops and studies that totaled hundreds of pages, he said.
"This is more than a monetary decision because any updates will come with a cost," McNulty said. "More to the point, GCC administration views alternatives other than reopening the pool as the healthier long-term investment, one that will better serve a diversity of constituencies and enhance the success of the college."
Trustees Robert Burchell and Eric Fitting opposed the pool closing. The two supported approving the administration's recommendation if the language to close the pool was removed.
Burchell said he would prefer side-by-side architectural proposals that compare the LSCC redesign with and without the pool. The studies could show the pool is not viable but it was not necessary to close the $2 million facility without a plan at this stage, he said.
"Have the staff research the option to develop the space for future use," Burchell said.
John Lupino, trustee chair, said he supported the administration's recommendation as stated, with the pool closing based on the reports.
"There is no shortage of information in these reports, from the administration and from Workshop Architects (the firm that conducted student, staff and community surveys)," Lupino said. "I would not vote for the motion if I didn't believe the findings were very conclusive from both parties."
Susan Beals, board secretary, said the surveys made it clear to her that students have different concerns and that they do not include the pool. Her vote to close the pool was in support of developing new programs that will help grow school enrollment.
"This area would be better served by changing it (LSCC) to work with the new programs," Beals said.
Trustee Thomas Brown said the pool has been a "bone of contention" for his entire 15 years on the board. Trustee William Malloy said it was time to put the pool behind them to move forward.
Trustee Tim Kolesar also sided with closing the pool.
McNulty said with the decision the administration would now move forward with the goals of the strategic plan. This includes fundraising and grant initiatives until the architectural phase.
The recommendation to close the pool follows a similar board action in 2015, he said. The planning reports and architectural research described an extensive utility, operational and maintenance challenge for a pool that no longer fit the future needs of the LSCC.
The initial cost for a long term fix of the pool just to open would be around $350,000, he said. But the recommendation was more in line with creating multipurpose spaces for recreational and academic programs, he said.
"The pool area was low on the list of priorities of all the focus groups except the community which could not come to an agreement," he said. "I don't see that changing."
According to GCC, the Board moved to keep the pool open through a cooperative relationship between the college and Snowflake Aquatics in 2003. The pool was drained for mechanical problems in 2015 and was officially closed by the board later that year and remains unused.
In the GCC president's report, McNulty said that new lighting was installed in the parking lot as part of a safety initiative. The new Skilled Trades building will have a grand opening event on Feb. 20, at 2 p.m., he said.
"It's going to be an exciting day," he said. "This is the culmination of a lot of hard work."
The board approved adding the athletic director position to the LSCC director position and increasing the salary from $48,801 to $53,682. The athletic director position had been a separate, stipend position.
The board approved establishing the Upper Peninsula Certified Nurse Aide Academy and the search for a full-time CNA trainer. Glen Ackerman-Behr, Director of Workforce Development and Nicole Rowe, director of Allied Health, presented information on the proposal they said is in demand.
In the GCC Foundation director's report, Kelly Marczak said that an April 25 fundraiser titled "Gogebic Goes Gold, will be a casino night. The games will be played at actual gaming tables with chips that can be used for raffles and the silent auction.
The other purpose for the event is to create an event for the community, she said. There is a need for volunteer game dealers, she said.
In other action, the administration 7-0 approved:
-The $73,855 purchase of a robotic welding cell.
-The $24,735 purchase of a virtual welding machine.
-A $46,000 contract with Nasi Roofing to install a new roof on the elevated portion of the Skilled Trades Building.
-The spring semester adjunct faculty list.
-The 2020 board meeting calendar.
-The resignation of Sue Pallin, vice president of Academic Services.
