The capital project has been approved by the office of the chancellor and the board of trustees for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. The college plans on demolishing two 20-year old pole constructed buildings and replacing them with an addition to the Campus Center, just east of County Road 70. The plan consists of contracting and furnishing a 34,200-sf addition; upgrading science labs; providing space for the MN WorkForce Center; supporting interactive learning; providing improved space for academic support services; and enhancing the space for growing academic programs.

"As our curriculum changes, so does the infrastructure, like computer labs with Internet access," says college president Patrick Johns. "Additionally, there are real health and safety concerns with these buildings (the 20-year-old, pole constructed buildings). The maintenance alone will cost much more than the value of the building."

The college is ready to begin construction in the summer of 2004, pending approval from the state legislature at the end of the 2004 session. This additional building project will replace the square footage lost in the demolition of the temporary buildings. Students attending the Cambridge campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College will feel an immediate impact with the approval of this funding through improved labs and equipment, a strengthened Academic Support Center, additional workforce-related resources, and consolidation of buildings all on the same side of County Road 70, according to college officials.