advertisement

CLC moving ahead with $48 million Lakeshore Campus upgrade

College of Lake County's effort to improve its Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan is back on, despite the ongoing state budget impasse that has delayed the approximately $48 million project for nearly two years.

The college is moving forward with preliminary work, which includes the addition of a new six-story building on vacant land next to an existing college building at 111 N. Genesee St.

The campus improvement project first was announced in 2013 by former Gov. Patrick Quinn, but has been on the shelf since June 30, 2015, because of the state's financial turmoil.

Typically, for projects like this, the state will pay its share first and the college adds its contribution later. But because the state's budget issues have dragged on so long, CLC is defying convention.

“We wanted to get this project rolling, so we flipped it,” said Mike Welch, the college's director of facilities.

The college will pay architects about $1 million for the design and construction documents, and get the project out to bid in the spring of 2018, Welch said. Officials hope by then the state is able to contribute their portion, which is about $34 million.

The project's goal is to create more of a campus feel for Lakeshore, which is now made up almost entirely of previously existing buildings the college purchased and renovated.

Ted Haug of Legat Architects, the firm designing the project, said the new building will have uninterrupted views of Lake Michigan, which planners will take advantage of by designing many of the building's gathering spaces on its east side.

“Instead of putting the community room on the first floor, we are going to put it on top with a roof terrace,” Haug said. “There will be views in every direction.”

Since the project was put on hold, some smaller facets, such as finding a new place for campus police to operate, have been dealt with separately, said Casey Frankiewicz, who also works for Legat.

Legat principal Jeffrey Sronkoski said the firm will continue developing designs with input from the CLC board until the fall.

“It's an important project for the firm because we are a Lake County firm, and we started in Waukegan and have a special place in our heart for it,” Sronkoski said.

Governor says state will give $36 million for CLC expansion

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.