(KIWA Staff Photo)
Marcus, Iowa (KAYL) — Northwest Iowa Community College is moving ahead with plans for a major new regional center in Marcus — a project college leaders say will expand hands‑on career training across rural northwest Iowa.
The Marcus center will be NCC’s third regional site, joining existing facilities in Sheldon and Sioux Center. It is scheduled to open in the fall of 2027 and will offer career pathways in engineering, design, education, and health, along with welding instruction already underway at MMCRU High School.
NCC purchased the former Hometown Guesthouse on Eagle Avenue earlier this year, using a $1 million state grant to secure the property and begin renovations.
College officials say the former hotel provides a larger footprint than a new build, along with existing infrastructure such as parking, sewer, and electrical service. Plans call for classrooms, a computer lab, CNA training and testing areas, office space, an alternative high school classroom, and student lounge areas. NCC is also exploring future additions, including a Morton‑style building behind the center where students could learn construction skills by assembling modular home components.
The Marcus center is designed to serve students from MMCRU, South O’Brien, Kingsley‑Pierson, and River Valley, with additional districts welcome as enrollment grows. Regional centers allow high school students to earn college credits and industry‑recognized credentials — such as CNA certification or OSHA‑10 Safety — while reducing travel time and lowering the overall cost of higher education.
The project now moves into its next phase. CMBA Architects of Sioux City is finalizing renovation plans, which are expected to go before the NCC Board of Trustees in late August. Once approved, the project will go out for bid, with construction likely beginning this winter. NCC hopes to award contracts in September to stay on track for a 2027 opening.
