Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Wisconsin Tech School Breaks Ground on Public Safety Education Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/20/22

Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, Wis., held a groundbreaking ceremony this week for its new Public Safety Education Center, according to local news. The facility is the final piece of the ongoing Public Safety + Transportation Complex project, the result of a $32-million referendum that local voters passed in November 2020. It will play home to classrooms for the college’s emergency services, police, and fire programs and feature amenities like a track, gym, and fitness center, according to a news release.

“As you might imagine, this building will become a cornerstone of our growing campus and reflects a changing college. We are excited about the future and how this facility will position the college to be a better resource for our community,” said Blackhawk President Dr. Tracy Pierner. “But facilities alone don’t make for great programs—it takes great instructors, students, staff, committed industry partners, and community members who believe in what we do.”

Local news reports that the Public Safety + Transportation Complex at large is the result of findings from the college’s Research and Planning Committee that the existing public safety and transportation facilities were unsafe and inadequate. The new Public Safety Education Center will stand “front and center as visitors approach the college.”

“It’s wonderful,” said Pierner. “It’s the start of a project, but it’s the end of a long culminating overall project, and so we’ve got a lot of great facilities here that are really great. But this is really the capstone, and what makes this so exciting is it will become the cornerstone of a growing campus here in Janesville.”

Pierner said that the facility will also be open for use by community partners, including local law enforcement. The Madison Police Department has previously used the track for vehicle training, and the center’s indoor firing range will help law enforcement partners train and update certifications and skills.

The college is partnering with general contractor JP Cullen and architecture firm Angus-Young. JP Cullen representatives said the project is scheduled for completion in August 2024.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Arlington High School

    Arlington High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Arlington High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.