Spoon River College Breaks Ground on New Macomb Campus Building

By: Forgottonia Times™ Report

On August 29th, Spoon River Community College (SRC) celebrated a significant milestone with a ceremonial "wall breaking" event at its new building on East Jackson Street in Macomb. The ceremony, which marked the start of renovations on the former retail store, featured college officials using Vaughn hammers, manufactured in Bushnell, to symbolically break through a demonstration wall. This event sets the stage for the construction of a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance the student experience and expand career training opportunities.

The new building, modeled after Macomb's historic downtown square, will feature classrooms along the perimeter, surrounding a "one-stop shop" of student services in the center. This design aims to streamline the college's services and create a cohesive environment where students can access academic, career, and personal support in one central location.

Dr. Curt Oldfield, President of Spoon River College, emphasized the importance of the project. "The completion of the building will allow us to finally have all of our operations in Macomb at one location," said Oldfield. "More importantly, it will allow us to expand our current career programs, including Nursing, and also add new ones, such as HVAC and industrial maintenance."

Currently, SRC's Macomb campus is located in a former high school building at Johnson and Washington streets, which has served the college since 1983. While the building remains in good condition, it no longer meets the growing needs of the college, particularly as SRC strives to add more space for its career and technical education programs.

The new 66,000-square-foot facility will house classrooms, labs, simulation suites, administrative and faculty offices, and a range of student support services. SRC plans to start holding classes in the new building by the fall of 2025. The $17 million project is funded through a combination of a $6.2 million Rebuild Illinois grant, $1 million in federal funds for rural healthcare expansion, and $10 million in local contributions.

This expansion reflects SRC's commitment to providing quality education and training opportunities for the region. As construction on the new campus begins, students look forward to a new building and new opportunities.