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Plainsman Grill off to a good start [Journal-Advocate, Sterling, Colo.]
(Journal-Advocate (Sterling, CO) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Feb. 20--STERLING -- The Plainsman Grill officially opened last weekend with a special Valentine's Day dinner and it appears things are off to a good start. General manager Jerrod Samber gave an update on the facility at a Northeastern Junior College Advisory Council meeting on Thursday.
"It's been a good four or five days," he said.
They had 176 reservations for the opening dinner and 150 people on a waiting list.
While the restaurant part of the facility just opened this week, the banquet facility has been open for several weeks. Samber said this week alone they had 13 functions there. Typically they have two to three functions a day.
He also said they have been booking a variety of functions for the future from golf tournaments to weddings and even a fire fighter convention.
The college is in the process of looking for a golf and head groundskeeper/turf management instructor.
Samber said the extended studies department is planning to offer a variety of classes there; things like couples cooking classes and classes to learn how to make holiday food, as well as things like yoga on the lawn.
Donations made to wind energy program
The council also heard about a variety of things going around campus from NJC president Lance Bolton.
NJC recently received a wind turbine nacelle and part of a wind tower donated by NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, for the wind energy technician program. The nacelle is 150 kilowatts.
"This is going to make a wonderful addition to our wind tech program, because we can do a lot of training on this," Bolton said.
NextEra also recently provided two large crates with more than 60 components for the program, including things like power converters and slip rings.
"We've very grateful and very much indebted to NextEra Energy for their continued generosity to our program," Bolton said.
New residence hall groundbreaking expected in April
He also gave the council an update on the new residence hall. They expect ground breaking to be in early April. There was a general contractor bid meeting on Thursday and the bid will open at 4 p.m., March 8.
Equine facility close to bidding stage
Bolton also gave an update on the equine facility. The project is getting back on track after suffering some set backs.
"We are still very close to being ready to go out to bids on that," he said. "The vision is that it will be a large hoop building that will allow us to do indoor equine work and rodeo practice."
They would also like to construct a building that would be a classroom, restroom facilities and offices to accompany that.
Physical plant director David Crawford said they have a meeting with the architect coming up soon.
Bolton said they think it will take about six weeks to complete the facility. They believe they will have it up before fall classes start.
Some of the infrastructures are already in place like water and electricity. The fairly expensive remaining part would be to get sewer lines.
NJC considers going 'wireless'
Bolton also talked about creating a wireless campus and the use of electronic textbooks.
"We think that with electronic textbooks we could do a number of things for our campus, increase student engagement, change the learning opportunities that are currently available in the classrooms and it would save students a lot of money," he said.
NJC is looking at the Edubook from Gecko, which cost about $100 a piece, and the iPad, which cost between $500-$750 a piece.
"Within the next couple years, two to three years, we're going to see colleges widespread, that instead of students carrying around textbooks, they're going to carry around one electronic device that houses all of their textbooks," Bolton said.
Tracking success
Another area he talked about was the student success courses. They've been tracking how the students that go through these programs do versus others. He said they have higher retention and graduation rates.
"But we think there's still room for improvement," Bolton said.
That's why he recently made a request to the Arthur E. & Helen K. Johnson Foundation for funding for a program that would cut these classes from 20 or 30 students down to four to eight.
"What we're hoping to do is have all new full-time freshman in these student success classes," Bolton said.
The classes would be taught by NJC faculty and staff members and would probably be one credit or a half credit.
"The idea is that the students can then really build a relationship with somebody on campus, build a connection with their small group that's in the student success class with them, as well as with a professional on campus," he said.
Energy performance
The council also heard an energy performance contract update from Crawford. NJC began working with the Enovate Corporation in 2008, to evaluate utility costs and potential upgrades for the campus.
Upgrades have now been made to lighting, windows, plumbing and electrical areas. The last major part they're working on completing is the control system.
Council members also heard a legislative update from Bolton. He talked about HB 10-1208, regarding statewide transfer agreements. This would help with standardization in terms of what's required and needed in the first two years at colleges.
SB 10-088
He also talked about SB 10-088, "Colorado Community Colleges Degrees with Academic Designation."
"What this allows is for the community colleges to have major designation," Bolton said.
Students will understand they can study mathematics at NJC, for example, and not wrestle with what an Associate of Applied Science or Associate of Arts means.
"We think that that will help with things like recruitment and retention," Bolton said.
He also talked about legislation being introduced and supported by State Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg and Sen. Greg Brophy, requiring public high school students to achieve a perfect score on an assessment before graduating high school.
A student would have to be proficient on the CSAP at the 10th grade level or above before they would graduate, or they could be declared by some other form of assessment workforce ready or secondary education ready.
He said there are some good things about the bill.
"For example, trying to create some personal accountability on the part of students that they know they have to achieve a certain level before they're going to graduate," Bolton said.
However, there are also concerns.
Callie Jones: (970) 526-9286; cjones@journal-advocate.com.
To see more of the Journal-Advocate, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.journal-advocate.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, Journal-Advocate, Sterling, Colo.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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