Illinois Capital Development Board Releases $2.3 Million in Funding to Elgin Community College for the Renovation of the Doors and Security Automation System

ELGIN - The Illinois Capital Development Board today announced $2.3 million has been released for the renovation of the doors and security automation system at Elgin Community College from the state, with local matching funds supporting a total investment of $3.1 million. The funding will help address deferred maintenance projects on the Elgin Community College campus that have been stalled due to a lack of investment by previous administrations. Made possible by Governor Pritzker's bipartisan capital plan, the first in nearly a decade, the renovation work will create good jobs and economic opportunities for residents in the surrounding community. CDB will oversee the project's renovation under the protocol for state-appropriated capital projects.
 
"It is the duty of elected officials to provide young people with the tools and resources they need to shape their future and achieve their dreams," said Governor JB Pritzker. "With funding from the Rebuild Illinois capital plan, Elgin Community College will be able to complete long-needed maintenance work and complete the doors and security automation system, deepening its reputation as an educational leader in the community."

"I am thankful to the State of Illinois for investing in the replacement of the doors and door automation throughout the main and Burlington campus," said CDB Executive Director Jim Underwood. "The Rebuild Illinois capital plan is essential to upgrading and improving facilities throughout the state."

"We are grateful for the state's investment into the security and overall safety of our campus," said Elgin Community College President, David Sam, PHD, JD, LLM. "Campus safety is a collaborated effort between many ECC departments which includes our police, Emergency Management, Communications, and Operations and Maintenance. This project will eliminate manual processes and integrate better-streamlined controls within the campus's safety and emergency management plan. These new enhancements will provide ECC Police additional critical tools that will be valuable in an emergency situation."

"Today's release of funding for security renovations at Elgin Community College is a welcomed and overdue development. As a graduate of Elgin Community College myself, I can personally attest to the value of education this institution and Illinois' community colleges as a whole provide," said State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin). "The investments under the Rebuild Illinois capital program have been so important for getting the upgrades institutions like Elgin Community College need."

"The Elgin Community College has been serving the higher education needs of this community for over 70 years, and this level of investment speaks to how much we value this type of education in Illinois. The state-of-the-art facility at Elgin attracts talented staff and students from afar, and I am certain this security automation system upgrade will bolster the institution's standing in the region," said State Representative Anna Moeller (D-Elgin). 
                           
The historic Rebuild Illinois capital plan passed with bipartisan super-majorities and will invest $45 billion in roads, bridges, railways, universities, early childhood centers, and state facilities like the new crime lab and veterans' homes, creating, and supporting an estimated 540,000 jobs over the life of the six-year plan and revitalizing local economies across the state.