Budget cuts forcing college to close site

The thousands of area residents who annually use education programs at Kirkwood Community College's Lincoln Center likely will see those services moved closer to downtown.

Kirkwood President Mick Starcevich on Monday announced plans to close the Lincoln Center as part of budget cuts. The programs offered there - GED, adult continuing education, high school and English as a second language classes - will move to another facility, likely the Kirkwood Resource Center at 1030 Fifth Ave. SE.

Lois Bartelme, Kirkwood board of trustees president, said keeping services at a convenient location is important.

“It's always sad to see it go, but sometimes these old buildings are too expensive to keep up,” she said. “Students will still be served.”

The Lincoln Center, at 912 18th Ave. SW, is an aging facility with increasing maintenance costs and no handicapped accessibility, Starcevich said. Closing the facility by Dec. 31 will save about $80,000. Kirkwood officials hope to sell the building, which the college bought for $1 from the Cedar Rapids school district in the 1970s.

Starcevich laid out plans to cut a total of $3.5 million from Kirkwood's budget by the end of fiscal 2011. Along with closing the Lincoln Center, officials will cut positions and downsize programs.

Kirkwood will reduce jobs through retirements, early retirements and two layoffs - one an administrator and one a coordinator, Starcevich said. Eliminating jobs through retirements and layoffs will save $625,000, he said. The enhanced early retirement incentive could save another $700,000.

Among the jobs to be cut via retirements are several faculty positions and the executive director of secondary education.

There also will be downsizing of some programs and privatization of some services - details of both still to be determined - and a 5 percent reduction in all non-salary budget items, such as travel, supplies and equipment.

“We look at the numbers of the program, we look at what we can fill with adjuncts,” Starcevich said. “It's something you never like to do. Every time you're making a cut, I see people and I see their faces.”

Kirkwood logged record enrollment this year, with 17,841 students, but has seen several state budget cuts.