Pewaukee-based Waukesha County Technical College is extending the deadline to raise $2 million for a new Integrated Manufacturing Center to Tuesday, Sept. 30. The previous deadline was Sept. 8.
WCTC announced in August that an anonymous donor had pledged $1 million toward the new building. The pledge was contingent on the college raising another $2 million in private funds for the project. The total cost for the project, which will be approved by the Wisconsin Technical College System, is expected to be $4.5 million.
“WCTC worked closely with the Wisconsin Technical College System state office to extend the deadline by which we need to obtain their approval for the project,” said Ellen S. Phillips, president of the WCTC Foundation. “We did this with assurances from our architects and engineers that a late September deadline would provide them with sufficient time to design the new building. This extension allows WCTC additional time to continue the fundraising efforts to meet the ultimate goal of a $4.5 million building addition.”
She declined to say how much money has been raised so far, but said she is “very optimistic” that the campaign goal will be met by the extended deadline.
A state capital spending limit means WCTC can spend a maximum of $1.5 million of its funds on a building expansion product, unless the additional private funds are available as cash on hand when it seeks approval for the project, said Kaylen Betzig, interim president of WCTC, in August when the pledge was announced.
The college began planning the IMC addition in January to meet growing demand for manufacturing courses and skilled workers. The WCTC Foundation has been fundraising in cooperation with the Waukesha County Business Alliance.
The 24,000-square-foot IMC would be connected to the Industrial Building on campus, and house several School of Applied Technologies programs, including automated systems, electronics, welding, computer and numerical control, engineering, industrial machine technician, robotics and industrial maintenance.
The proposed building includes two Automated Systems Technology labs, an integrated manufacturing and engineering lab, an industrial maintenance technician lab, two electronics labs, an electronics fabrication lab, a technology lab, an engineering lecture hall, an AST classroom, two engineering classrooms and two conference rooms.
