Southwest Tech Board Approves New Public Safety Training Building

Fennimore, WI— The Southwest Tech District Board recently voted to approve moving forward on the development of plans to build a $1.5 million public safety educational facility. The building will be constructed on the former site of the Koschkee Transfer Company along Highway 18 and adjacent to the 80-acre Public Safety Complex which is currently under construction. The 8,700 square foot building is projected to be completed by Fall 2012 and will include classroom and training facilities for firefighters, emergency first responders, and law enforcement professionals.

“Having classrooms and training facilities was a part of the original plans for the Public Safety Complex,” stated Southwest Tech President Karen R. Knox. “When the initial bids to renovate the existing Koschkee building came back too high, we needed to rethink the project. After considerable consultation with local emergency responders, our district board made a commitment to investing in a training facility on the site at some point in the future. We are happy to announce that plans are moving forward to seek approval from the state to construct the needed facility ahead of schedule.”

Initial campus building plans were to delay construction on a new facility at the training site until the 2013-14 school year. However, the board recently reconsidered the decision to renovate an existing building space on the main campus that is currently being used by the Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement program in favor of constructing a new facility located at the Public Safety Training Complex site. The facility is planned to include training rooms and office space for the law enforcement program, firefighter and emergency responder training services.

“For ten years we have trained future law enforcement officers and emergency responders in a facility that was previously used as a laboratory for a butcher program,” explained Kris Wubben, Southwest Tech Criminal Justice Coordinator. “We have had to be very creative over the years and our instructors have built an excellent program. However, the investment in a new facility at the Public Safety Complex will increase our training efficiency and effectiveness along with being a wiser use of taxpayer’s money compared to renovation of existing space.”

“The decision to invest resources into a newly constructed facility rather than force the restoration of an existing building was both academically and fiscally prudent,” stated Knox. “We were looking at an $850,000 price tag to renovate the existing building and there were still questions on whether the plans would meet our student’s needs. When we compared that to the option of investing that money in constructing a new facility that met the needs of the region using funds we already planned to invest in the coming years, the district board agreed that going forward with new construction at the Public Safety Complex was a better use for our limited resources.”

The $1.5 million needed to construct the training facility will be funded through the College’s annual borrowing process and is not part of the $31.9 million voter-approved campus referendum. Campus officials were quick to point out that the borrowing required for new construction will not increase the debt levy that taxpayers see on their annual statements.  

Campus officials anticipate that the primary training elements of a fire burn building, Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC), splash tower, and fire arms range will be available for use in late August of this year. The new classroom and training building will be open for use in fall of 2012.