Donations to college pouring in
By CANDACE CHASE
The Daily Inter Lake
As new buildings appeared on the Flathead Valley Community College horizon, businesses and philanthropists reduced the building-budget shortfall.
Recent large contributions bring the college foundation's Building for Success Campaign total to $321,674. College officials said this figure does not include all commitments.
The campaign started about a year ago to help raise $3.5 million to augment $18.5 million in bonds approved by voters in December 2002 for expansion of the Kalispell campus. A delay caused by election litigation led to inflated construction cost.
Ruth Ackroyd, director of the college foundation, recently provided a progress report about the foundation's capital campaign to the Board of Trustees.
Recent donations are:
. $30,000 from Columbia Falls Aluminum Company for the metals and machine fabrication shop bay in the Occupational Trades Building. The aluminum plant also donated lab equipment for the photo studio in the Arts and Technology Building.
. $10,000 from Plum Creek Foundation for the student resource area and a faculty office in the Occupational Trades Building.
. $30,000 from the Flathead Building Association for the woods manufacturing carpentry shop bay in the Occupational Trades Building.
. $35,000 from the Bibler Foundation for the allied health science lab in the Ross Hall renovation in honor of Louis A. Bibler.
. $15,000 from the Bibler Foundation for a classroom in the Early Childhood Education and Care Center to honor Jean Bibler.
The college broke ground for the expansion this month. At that time, President Jane Karas said that the college would make up the budget shortfall through the capital campaign and loans.
She reported that the campus expansion remains on schedule, with the Occupational Trades Building ready for students in January, and completion of the Arts and Technology Building by next summer.
Karas said plans call for receiving bids in January for the Early Childhood Education and Care Center, and finishing construction in July.
"By the college's 40th anniversary [next fall], all the building will be done," Karas said.