Visitors to the West Burlington campus will notice something new.
Standing tall alongside Loren Walker Arena is the bright red shell of the $5 million Blackhawk Recreation Center. This two-story multi-purpose facility will be ready for students and staff alike next fall.
“The rec center will be a great addition for campus life,” Director of Student Activities Melissa Flores said. “Among other activities, we’ll offer intramural sports like dodgeball, pickle ball, volleyball, and more that students can join throughout the year.”
This project is being underwritten in large part by monies received by SCC as part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).
The college partnered with architectural firm Shive-Hattery of Davenport for design and engineering services. SG Construction from West Burlington is serving as the general contractor.
Planners have also begun phase 2 of the project, which will repurpose three classrooms adjoining the facility into a weight room, a multi-purpose aerobic exercise classroom, and a student club lounge.
Phase 2 will complement the large facility by providing specialized spaces for additional recreation and wellness programming, as well as provide a dedicated space for student clubs to hold meetings and host small events.
Construction is expected to start in late 2023.
Construction of the outdoor training facility is nearly complete. The regulation soccer field and eight-lane running track wrapped earlier this past fall. Remaining work includes striping the track, allowing the playing surface turf to mature, and SCC’s construction technology to install an equipment storage building.
The $700,000 facility was made possible in large part by an in-kind donation of sitework and labor by Four Seasons Excavation & Landscaping Inc. of West Burlington.
As the recreation projects wrap up, planners will begin renovating and repurposing a number of other spaces, including expanding the cafeteria and kitchen, relocating the bookstore, and building new centralized office suites for student affairs and athletics. This series of projects will begin in early 2023 and will be completed by the end of the year.
“This project is all about timing,” said Dr. Ash. “Each of these spaces are currently being used so we can’t start one project until the other is finished and allow time to move in and out.”
With a price tag of a little over $1 million, this series of projects is being funded by a number of sources including HEERF, state funds, and facility dollars.
scc-iowa.com 
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