Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed supplemental spending bills that included a $26 million capital outlay appropriation to support a $58 million renovation and expansion project at Macomb Community College’s M Building.
By: Maria Allard | Warren Weekly | Published January 9, 2024
WARREN — As Macomb Community College continues to provide courses in skilled trades, it’s also revamping the school’s Mobility and Sustainability Center on the South Campus in Warren.
The cost of the renovation and expansion project is $58 million, and school officials are getting some help from the state with the cost. On Dec. 18, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed supplemental spending bills that included a $26 million capital outlay appropriation to support the M Building expansion project. Macomb will cover the remaining $32 million with funding from the college’s capital projects fund.
The building houses the college’s programs in automotive technology, climate control, civil technology, architectural technology and marine maintenance technology and construction, including licensed electrician and plumber training.
The renovation and expansion project of the Mobility and Sustainability Center is designed to increase opportunities in high-demand skilled trades.
“The Mobility and Sustainability Center is vital infrastructure to support Macomb Community College’s ability to uniquely address the talent development needs of Michigan’s automotive, construction, manufacturing, energy and boating industries,” Macomb President James O. Sawyer IV said in a college news release. “This is a critical resource in helping position our residents for careers in high-tech, high-demand, high-wage occupations while sustaining and contributing to the growth of local industry and helping advance the economic prosperity of Michigan.”
According to college officials, the Mobility and Sustainability Center has not been updated since the 1980s, and the $58 million renovation and expansion project will make it much more modern. The renovation project will update the present 74,900 square-foot facility into a 131,000 square-foot Mobility and Sustainability Center.
The new center will feature a state-of-the-art, flexible lab and teaching environments designed to address needs in growing sectors that will include electric vehicles, sustainable energy management and advanced construction methodologies.
The building will be designed so that it can adapt to changing technology for both current and future programs. Plans for the renovation and expansion include a larger capacity for data infrastructure and greater electrical loads. Increased classroom and lab space to provide opportunities for more students to pursue high-demand career pathways also is part of the plan.
According to the college news release, the college’s Mobility and Sustainability Center project received bipartisan support from Macomb County’s delegation in the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate, with heavy input from state Rep. Denise Mentzer, D-Mount Clemens.
“This exciting and innovative project will be transformational for Macomb Community College, for Macomb County businesses and for the students,” Mentzer said in a prepared statement. “I am proud that I could play a small role in bringing it home to Macomb.”
Construction of the Mobility and Sustainability Center is expected to begin in early 2025 and is expected to take 18 months to complete. Classes in M Building will be temporarily relocated during the renovation process.
According to a college spokesperson, before an architectural firm or contractor are selected, college officials must follow the state’s capital outlay process. When the project is further along in the process, an architectural firm and a construction manager will be proposed for consideration by the college’s Board of Trustees.