Lake Land Board Awards Design Work for the Effingham Technology Center

The Lake Land College Board of Trustees Thursday approved a proposal for archtectural design work at the Effingham Technology Center.

The Effingham Technology Center is the former Patterson Technology Center, which is located along Althoff Drive. Lake Land College acquired the building several months ago and is finalizing plans for the main level of the building. Classes that Lake Land has offered at the Kluthe Center for Higher Education and Technology in Effingham are going to be relocated to the Technology Center, with a goal of offering classes there this fall. Patterson will still use the lower level of the Center.

Bailey Edward of Champaign submitted the winning proposal for the Technology Center at a cost of up to $492,200.  

Also Thursday, Lake Land trustees learned of the receipt of two grants from the Illinois Community College Board. One is the Innovative Bridge and Transitions Grant, a one-year grant of $88,000. The focus of the grant program is recruiting students into the college's engineering program. The other is this year's Perkins Leadership Grant, valued at more than $75,000. The effort is to interest fifth through eighth grade students in the Lake Land district in the college's career and technical education career programs. The goal is to expand interest in last summer's Teens With Tools program. This summer, the program will be offered on the main campus in Mattoon, but also at the college's extension centers in Effingham, Pana and Paris. The program was offered in Effingham last summer and was well-received, according to Lake Land and local education officials.