If all goes according to plan, Ottawa will have an Illinois Valley Community College satellite campus open downtown with area students starting classes next August.

Progress of the satellite center, which will be located in a former commercial building at 321 W. Main St., was discussed at the IVCC Board of Trustees Facilities Committee meeting Tuesday evening.

Reed Wilson, city economic development director, told committee members renovations bids to prepare the one-time Ottawa Post Office building were opened last week at City Hall. Wilson said the unofficial lowest bid came in at $767,000 by Vissering Construction Co. of Streator, an amount larger than the city's share of the sale price of the property even after a hefty discount by current owner Centrue Bank.

The city has agreed to pay $700,000 on the $1.1 million building with Centrue to cover the remaining $400,00 as a contribution to the college expansion. IVCC would enter into a four-year lease with the city waiving payments for the first year so the college could focus investments on marketing the new campus.

"A comprehension marketing program is essential to the success of the center," Wilson said.

Wilson assured the trustees, the 12,000-square-foot building, once completed, would satisfy the educational needs of the Ottawa-Streator area communities and beyond.

The satellite campus, long a dream of both IVCC and the city, is expected to dramatically increase the number of students from the eastern part of IVCC's district. IVCC President Jerry Corcoran has previously reported only about 29 percent of high school graduates from this general area are enrolled in the college at present.

Cocoran says he would like to see those numbers increase to eventually match the 50 percent the college receives from LaSalle-Peru High School, St. Bede Academy and Hall High School, all of which are miles closer to the Oglesby main campus.

Ottawa city officials are on record that they believe the college campus in the heart of the city will also provide a economic boost to downtown businesses from the hundreds of students who will utilize the building each school day.

Once completed, the facility's educational programs will include general education classes, adult education programs, GED courses and expansion of IVCC's popular nursing assistant program.

IVCC has also received letters from Illinois State University and Northern Illinois University expressing their interest in establishing baccalaureate and other undergraduate courses in the center at some future date.