Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

SCC plans to add student housing on Keokuk campus

Southeastern Community College is hoping to build a 22-bed dormitory on its Keokuk campus.
Will Buss
/
Tri States Public Radio
Southeastern Community College is hoping to build a 22-bed dormitory on its Keokuk campus.

The college has been housing students at an apartment complex called Roberta’s Dorms on Fourth Street, but this would be the first dormitory on campus.


Southeastern Community College would like to build student housing on its Keokuk campus.

SCC Vice President of Administrative Services and Chief Financial Officer Kevin Carr said the school would like to build a 22-bed dorm with an estimated cost of $2 million.

Carr said the Keokuk campus has been struggling to maintain food service. He said adding student residence halls would help attract more students to live on campus and bring more to students to buy and eat food on campus.

“If we have students living right there, that helps our food service,” Carr said.

Carr also said that adding student housing on campus would provide the college opportunities to add more athletic and extracurricular programs.

Right now, the Keokuk campus only has a women’s basketball team.

“It could be sports, it could be choir, you know, show classes, but that recruits and brings students from outside of the area into the area, which is what we want,” he said. “And then we also want it from a job economic standpoint so that some of those students will stay and fill jobs here in southeast Iowa so that's our role as Community College to support the community.”

Carr recently discussed this proposed project before the Keokuk city council.

“I like the investment in the community,” Third Ward Alderwoman Roslyn Garcia said. “I think it would be really neat.”

Carr said construction could take up to a year.

With the project still in planning stages, there is no timetable at this time.

“We are committed to Keokuk for the long haul,” Carr said.

The dormitories would be the first permanent student housing on the Keokuk campus.

The college has been housing students at an apartment complex called Roberta’s Dorms on Fourth Street in Keokuk.

The college’s main campus in West Burlington has three dormitories.

Tri States Public Radio produced this story.  TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.