CVTC's referendum-funded building projects nearly done

Sep. 1—EAU CLAIRE — Chippewa Valley Technical College's two biggest projects funded by a $48.8 million referendum have begun to house their first classes.

Both located at the West Campus, the new Transportation Education Center and the upgraded Emergency Service Education Center were both completed this summer, though some tiny finishing touches remain.

Under construction since spring 2021, the new 121,000-square-foot building that houses classes for driving and servicing semitrailers, fixing cars, SUVs, pickups and small-engine vehicles now stands complete just off the North Crossing.

Previously those programs were spread across different sites, including a large garage CVTC leased on the south side and some of the oldest, darkest parts of the technical college's main campus on Clairemont Avenue.

"It's definitely a night and day difference," Adam Wehling, dean of agriculture, energy, construction & transportation, said while standing in the new facility at 3810 Campus Road.

The new, spacious, modern, better ventilated building has natural light pouring in through transparent wall panels and garage doors. Some of the old shops didn't even have windows, noted Rod Bagley, CVTC's director of facilities.

The two provided a tour of the new building on Wednesday to the Leader-Telegram, passing through all the pristine shops with new equipment to match.

Several large garages for auto collision repairs, auto mechanic work, small engine servicing (boats, motorcycles and ATVs), diesel truck maintenance and inspecting semitrailers before they hit the road are all included in the new building.

All the new shops are significantly bigger than their previous quarters. For example, the 15-bay auto repair shop is roughly twice as large as the space it previously occupied, Wehling said.

After unlocking one of the tool cabinets there, Wehling pulls out drawers of carefully sorted tools, each one engraved with CVTC and the number of the work station it is assigned to.

This is one of the other changes coming with the new digs — sets of tools that students can use in class. Previously students had to buy their own, Wehling noted, an expense that could run each of them $2,000 to $5,000.

In addition to not having that up-front cost, Wehling said students will also get price discounts on buying their own tools through companies the college has agreements with.

At the front of the building, the spacious commons flows into a multi-purpose learning center with meeting rooms on its periphery. This is not only be a spot for students to study and have meetings, but also a flexible space where CVTC will host transportation-related gatherings as well.

"We want this to be that regional hub," Wehling said, noting the nearest ones like it in Wisconsin are in Appleton and Green Bay.

The building is already slated to host a meeting this fall of truck driving instructors from public technical colleges throughout the Upper Midwest, as well as an event educating the public on electric vehicles.

Outside the building in a new area of blacktop, a motorcycle safety course has been laid out. This class previously shared a driving track on the campus that is also used by truck driving students.

The Transportation Education Center, including a 15,000-square-foot storage building, came in at the $29.6 million cost it was projected to be, Bagley said.

He credits that to good timing — that the college got its building contracts signed before a significant industrywide increase in construction prices.

"I didn't have to cut anything. I didn't have to spend more," Bagley said. "We got in just in time."

The same thing went for the upgraded Emergency Service Education Center, which is coming in slightly under its $10.6 million price.

Used to train future law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers, the building roughly doubled in size and the old parts of it got a face-lift.

"It's pretty much a new building," Bagley said.

Renovations were done to 24,400 square feet of existing space, and there was 27,800 square feet added to the building.

The project began in June 2021, but the building stayed in active use as classes took whatever rooms weren't being worked on at the time.

"We continued to run our law enforcement academy throughout the whole thing," said Eric Anderson, CVTC's associate dean of emergency services.

Classes for firefighter and EMS workers did move to CVTC's Chippewa Falls campus though during the building project.

CVTC's firefighter and EMS programs previously shared an apparatus bay with Eau Claire Fire Department's Station No. 9, which is on one end of the Emergency Service Education Center. CVTC's building project added its own large garage for the college's firetrucks, ambulances and training equipment on the opposite end of its building.

That addition not only makes it easier for CVTC to run a mandatory physical training course in its own apparatus bay, but also lets the city's fire station use all of its own space.

"It's just a win-win on both ends," Anderson said.

Law enforcement students also got modern, more spacious facilities to learn in.

The building's new firearms range is 50 yards long — twice as long as the old one — and has extra width so students can spread out more when they're on the firing line. Rifles can be used in the longer range, something students previously had to do at an outdoor range — even if that part of their training was in January.

The new range also has double doors that can be opened for vehicles to drive in. This allows for practice exercises involving the use of vehicles for cover and the proper conduct for handling a traffic stop.

Another room added by the building project is a virtual reality simulation room for future officers to train with practice handguns and Tasers.

The old 25-yard-long firing range has been turned into a gym so students in the police, firefighter and EMS programs can get into shape necessary to meet physical requirements for those careers.

Previously, the college rented time from local gyms and karate studios for the physical training and teaching self-defense skills.

"We've driven literally miles to get to where we needed to train," Anderson said.

That meant adding about 20 minutes into the class schedule just for travel time, which will no longer be needed with everything under one roof.

Three new classrooms were created as well by the construction work at the Emergency Service Education Center. All the old classrooms were freshened up with new paint, tables, chairs, flooring and lighting.

A new commons area was added onto the building, replacing a darker, seldom-used student gathering space.

Anderson has already seen the boost in camaraderie among students there, noting that they've started organizing their own pot lucks and barbecues over the summer.

Wehling saw a similar phenomenon when the first students to use the new Transportation Education Center earlier this month began gathering in its commons area, too.

"That's what we want to build — this camaraderie here," he said.

Both Wehling and Anderson acknowledged that without the approval of taxpayers over two years ago, the building projects would not have been possible.

"I really thank the public for their trust and confidence in the fact that CVTC has put those tax dollars toward a campus that is extremely important to the community," Anderson said. "It's money well spent."

In the April 2020 election, 62% of voters in CVTC's 11-county district supported the $48.8 referendum.

The first referendum-funded project — a 10,000-square-foot addition to the Manufacturing Education Center at CVTC's Gateway Campus — started construction in fall 2020 and was finished last year.

The referendum is also paying for land for a future expansion to CVTC's River Falls campus, remodeling projects at its Menomonie and River Falls campuses, new technology and creating more labs.