Northwest College will ask the Wyoming Community College Commission to consider a proposal for a new classroom and laboratory facility.

The NWC board voted to submit the proposal at their regular meeting last week, and included a provision that the college would provide 10 percent of the estimated $14.3 million cost from reserve funds.

The proposed 49,700-square-foot building would provide lab space for the nursing program, a medical library, and a firearms simulator for the law enforcement program along with 13 classrooms, seminar rooms and office space for faculty. Several departments could move into the building, including nursing, social science and education, humanities and communications. The relocation would free space in the Orendorff Building to house several student services, such as counseling and disability support as well as the student health center, consolidating them in one building.

“This project accomplishes a lot of our needs and priorities,” said NWC President Paul Prestwich,

The building has been part of NWC’s facilities master plan since 2007, and with the completion of Simpson Hall and the athletic fields, is now the college’s most pressing facilities need. However, it differs from the Applied Science and Technology building originally proposed because some of the original needs have been met and priorities have changed since 2007.

“Our reserves are in a strong position, and I think it’s beneficial to have some local skin in the game,” Prestwich said.

If it is built, the new building, tentatively named the Yellowstone Academic/Workforce Training Building, would probably be constructed west of the DeWitt Student Center where the tennis courts are currently, the same location that was identified in the 2007 facilities master plan.