A revamped main entrance to Max Clark Hall on Northeast Iowa Community College’s Calmar campus is one of many upgrades coming to the facility. Originally built in 1971, Max Clark Hall will see a $6 million-plus renovation over the coming months with an anticipated completion date of Feb. 28, 2022. (submitted photo)

Accept $6 million dollar bid for NICC's Max Clark Hall renovations

Zakary Kriener

News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com

Big changes are coming to the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) campus in Calmar as the local college’s Board of Trustees approved the recommended bid for renovations to Max Clark Hall. The building, which is one of the first buildings seen on the campus when driving past on Highway 150 or when entering the college grounds, is the home to accredited NICC nursing program as well as several other of the school’s programs.

The renovation project will include an updated main entrance to the building, classrooms, offices, restrooms, and a six-bed nursing student training lab that will include additional classrooms for health programming.

NICC officially accepted a bid for $6,024,695 on Monday, March 1, from Cresco Building Service. The area company will serve as the general contractor for the duration of the project, which officials are hopeful can be completed by Feb. 28, 2022.

NICC has not worked directly with Cresco Building Service in the past, but prior to the company being awarded the bid, College Board of Trustees confirmed the reputation and noted that it has completed many other noteworthy projects in the area, including the Waukon Wellness Center, Upper Iowa University Student Center, and more.

Dubuque firm Straka Johnson Architects provided the lead design work for the project, which got underway in 2019.

Max Clark Hall was built on the NICC Calmar Campus in 1971 and is the home to general education, health, computer, and business courses. 

Funding for the project will be provided by the $39 million bond levy, which was approved by voters in September, 2018. The levy aims to focus on four main areas at NICC, including improving infrastructure, enhancing security, updating technology, and creating innovative and collaborative learning spaces.

Demolition work officially got underway earlier this week. During the renovation process, the roadway in front of Max Clark Hall will be closed to traffic.

The last major project on the NICC Calmar Campus was the construction of the Wilder Business Center in Jan., 2013. Other recent projects include the construction of the student center and renovations to the Darwin L. Schrage Administration building. Those projects were funded by a different bond levy, which was passed in 2007.