JJC City Center Building Exterior to Be Finished by January

The core and shell of Joliet Junior College's City Center Campus building on Chicago Street is to be completed by the end of January, school officials said in a news release.

Construction began in March. There is not completion date yet set for the $58 million downtown building, the feature of which are to include:

• Built to LEED-Silver standards
• Highly efficient heating and cooling systems
• High R-rating for insulation
• EPDM light-reflective roof
• High recycled content in building materials
• Tinted glass to minimize UV-ray penetration

When completed, the six-story, 96,000-square-foot structure will house the colleges Workforce Development, GED/ESL, Adult Education and Culinary Arts programs and general education space.

Local legislators, Joliet Junior College trustees and other JJC officials were given a tour of the construction site Dec. 10 to see the building’s progress and receive updates on the development of the new facility in downtown Joliet, according to a JJC news release.

Among those to check out the new building were Sen. Pat McGuire, Rep. Larry Walsh Jr.; Jim Murphy of the Mayor of Joliet’s office; Joliet City Manager Jim Hock; Carole Cheney from U.S. Rep. Bill Foster’s office, JJC President Deb Daniels; and JJC trustees Andy Mihelich, Jeff May, Barbara Adams, Tina Markley and Mike O’Connell.

Tours were led by representatives from Mortensen Construction, the company contracted to complete the core and shell of the building, and Demonica Kemper Architects, the architecture firm on the project.

"We were honored to be joined today by our legislators and city partners who came out to show their support and enthusiasm for our new campus,” college spokeswoman Kelly Rohder said in the release.

“This building will provide key services and programs to our district residents, as well as support economic development in the downtown Joliet area. We are a proud partner of the city of Joliet.”

The news release also said:

JJC’s Workforce Development (WD) provides various services to prepare youth, veterans, under- and un-employed individuals for entry into the workforce. 

The JJC Department of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) is also based in the City Center Campus, and it offers programs and services such GED preparation, high school credit, basic skills reviews, career and vocational counseling, English as a Second Language classes and Citizenship Test review.

Additionally, the Culinary Arts program at JJC is recognized as one of the premier culinary training programs in the nation and is known around the world as a leader in culinary education. The program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation. A significant feature of the new building will be a fully operating restaurant run by the culinary program, which will be open to the public.

The total cost of the project is $58 million. The college’s funding strategy includes money promised from the state of Illinois, money received from other master plan projects that came in under budget, a successful 2008 referendum, and interest earned on bonds.

State funding for the project is promised at $25.5 million. The college is number one on the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) state priority list of institutions slated to receive funds for capital projects.

Programming for the interior build out of the structure is currently under way.