Iowa Central Community College is a huge asset to Webster County and much of north central Iowa. It benefits both families and employers. Not only does the college offer high quality post-secondary education at an affordable cost, it has curricula that address the specific needs of area employers. In that regard, it is a major partner in helping to grow the economies of Fort Dodge and many nearby communities.

For a half century, Iowa Central’s Decker Auditorium has served as the heart of the performing arts at the college. The auditorium has also served as a venue for performances by groups from many communities in the region. After 50 years, however, the college’s needs have changed and a facility that could serve adequately in the 1970s no longer meets the requirements of the 21st century.

That’s why the college’s Board of Trustees has approved a major facelift for Decker Auditorium as well as the construction of a new Center for Performing Arts. The nearly $12 million dollar undertaking was designed by the Des Moines architecture firm OPN Architects. The board is expected to finalize a construction contract with Sioux City-based Klinger Construction for $11,907,000. Work on the project is expected to get underway shortly.

The need for updates to the auditorium have been apparent for many years, Dr. Jesse Ulrich, Iowa Central president, told The Messenger earlier this month. It was part of the 2018 bond referendum with $3 million earmarked for the project.

As the needs were evaluated, it became clear that the monies from the bonds would be insufficient to meet the college’s needs to support its booming performing arts programs as well as serve community needs. Additionally, the existing structure requires extensive upgrades to comply with current government regulations including those incident to the American Disabilities Act.

“The additional time allowed us to take a holistic approach to all of what we offer in that space and the reality is the space doesn’t do justice to what our students need when they come here to seek that student experience in the performing arts,” Ulrich told The Messenger recently.

The Iowa Central Community College Foundation is getting ready to launch a capital campaign to raise a large portion of the nearly $12 million project cost

“This is probably the biggest project Iowa Central has really undertaken in the last 20 years,” Ulrich told The Messenger. “This is the most public building we have on campus. It’s really, really important for us to get it right and it’s something that people will be proud of.”

The Messenger heartily agrees and strongly supports this major enhancement to Iowa Central. It is important to keep this college at the cutting edge in its facilities and capabilities.