MATC Seeks to Expand its West Campus

MATC Seeks to Expand its West Campus
Wisconsin State Journal
Deborah Ziff | 608-252-6234 | dziff[at] madison [dot] com | Posted: Monday, December 7, 2009 5:35 pm

Just four months after it opened, Madison Area Technical College officials would like to expand the college's west campus by enough space for 18 additional classrooms.

It would mean the college would occupy all of the building at 302 S. Gammon Road, the former Famous Footwear corporate headquarters. The expansion will cost $822,480 per year in rent, utilities, and maintenance, plus about $1.1 million in furniture and equipment.

The MATC District Board will consider the request at its meeting Wednesday.

The college currently leases most of the first floor, the basement and the fourth floor of the Far West Side building, at a cost of about $940,000 this year. The west campus opened this fall with the goal of providing a home to police, fire and emergency medical training programs and some general courses.

This move would allow college officials to lease the rest of the space in the building, or 42,149 square feet, which includes the second and third floors and the remaining space on the first floor.

"We're hoping it will continue to help us grow," said Roger Price, vice president of infrastructure. "Where we can't meet demands at our other locations, we're hoping it will help us be able to meet some of that need."

In addition to 18 classrooms, the new space would include a campus library, learning center, testing rooms, offices, conference rooms and storage.

The Global Academy is also considering using some of the space. The Global Academy is a newly formed consortium of eight school districts and MATC, with the intent of providing a hybrid of high school and college courses in specialized skills.

Money would come from MATC's operations budget and future borrowing. The target date to occupy the space is July 15, 2010.