|
 The
Village is a set of multiplex apartments located at the junction of
North Ottawa Street and Nicholson Road on the north side of the LC
campus. The college purchased the buildings last fall and have done
extensive work gutting the interiors, and re-designing the units
into living spaces for students.
During
the ribbon cut, Chamber President Cathy Wilhite congratulated the
college on the excellent outcome, and praised the college for its
value to the community.
College President Dr. David Gerlach addressed the crowd, first
giving praise to the Chamber for its sponsorship of ribbon cuts in
the community along with other work the organization does to promote
its membership.
He then
turned to offering many thank yous for those who had invested time,
talent, and money into the project. He noted that when the units
were purchased, there was a lot to be done before even beginning the
work on the interiors. He praised the college maintenance crew who
worked to clean up the apartments, and even fought off massive
numbers of bugs in some of the units.
Gerlach also thanked the construction firm who did all the work
bringing the apartments up to a standard that was far and above what
many had expected. Gerlach noted that in the spring, when students
were searching out their living assignments for the coming school
year, they had been told that the village would be ready for the
fall. However, in their condition at that time, most students were
not interested in speaking for space in the new Lynx Village.
Gerlach added that now that the village is open and filled, he has
had students scold him for not doing a better job of selling the
place, because they could not imagine the living accommodations
would be so very nice.
Gerlach praised the Lincoln College Board of Trustees for their
vision for the college, and their forward thinking. He said that for
152 years the college has relied on the board of directors for
leadership and has benefited from the board members drive to move
the college forward.
Gerlach also made mention of the Woods Foundation that offered
tremendous financial support to the project. He said that the
foundation knew the vision and goals of the college and supported
the college’s effort to push back to a four-year institution.
In a separate press release issued by the college, Bill Bates,
President of the Woods Foundation offered the following quote: “The
Woods Foundation is very aware of the positive impact that Lincoln
College has on Lincoln and the Logan County area. We are committed
to the success of the college and also recognize the significant
benefit that this project brings to the community by taking property
that was blighted and repurposing that property for student
housing.”
At the
ribbon cut, Blinn Bates addressed the audience in Bill’s absence,
again reinforcing the quote from his father, and praising Robert and
Joan Woods for their vision, and their philanthropic nature that
continued to give the foundation the ability today to support such
worthy projects.
At the
end of the talks, Gerlach and Wilhite were joined by Bates and David
Clapp, Chair of the Lincoln College Board of Trustees, to do the
official ribbon cut. After the ribbon cut, the entire crowd was
invited to join Gerlach and others for a group photo to mark the
occasion. Those in attendance included staff from the college,
members of the community and many students.
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After the ceremony was concluded, tours were offered of the new
residences for students.
Additional text provided by Mark Gordon, Public Relations and Media
Manager, Lincoln College:
A new apartment
suite option for students has been officially opened at Lincoln
College with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 29.
The newly renovated “Lynx Village” offers suite-style living for
Lincoln College’s growing student population, with first preference
given to upperclassmen.
“We are pleased to expand the range of living options available to
our students and are deeply appreciative of the strong support of
The Woods Foundation, which has awarded Lincoln College a grant of
$500,000 to offset the costs of renovating the apartments,” said Dr.
David Gerlach, President of Lincoln College.
“The Woods Foundation is very aware of the positive impact that
Lincoln College has on Lincoln and the Logan County area. We are
committed to the success of the College and also recognize the
significant benefit that this project brings to the community by
taking property that was blighted and repurposing that property for
student housing,” said William Bates, President of the Woods
Foundation.
Grants from the Woods Foundation are made possible through the
generosity of Robert J. Woods and Joan Jarrett Woods, by the
creation of The Woods Foundation.
The apartment-style suites are located at the north edge of the
Lincoln College campus. Over the summer, the interiors of the units
were completely gutted and rebuilt, including new flooring, walls,
ceilings, heating, air conditioning and plumbing. In addition, new
exterior siding and windows were installed.
Makayla Suelter, Peoria, Student Body President in
her Lynx Village Room
The renovated units can accommodate up to 39 students in 2 buildings
with 10 total units, in either a four-plex or a six-plex
configuration. Each student has a private bedroom, averaging 11’ x
11’. All units have a common living room area for the students, as
well as shared bathroom space. The four-plex units have had carports
converted to outdoor space and the six-plex units have access to
rear courtyard space for students to use for socializing. There are
no kitchen facilities, as students will continue to have access to
the college’s dining hall for meals. The property also includes a
laundry facility supporting the 39 students.
[Nila Smith, with text from
Lincoln College, with photos by Smith and Mark Gordon] |
