JANESVILLE — Blackhawk Technical College celebrated the start of construction on a new Public Safety Education Center with a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 19 at its Central Campus.

The new building will be located next to the Center for Transportation Studies and house classrooms for Blackhawk’s emergency services, fire and police programs as well as a track, gym and fitness center. This is the final project within the Public Safety + Transportation Complex project, which voters paved the way for in Nov. 2020 with the passing of a $32 million referendum.

“As you might image, 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 Dr. Tracy Pierner, President of Blackhawk. “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.”

About 60 public officials, industry partners, police and fire department leaders and Blackhawk staff attended the groundbreaking ceremony. JP Cullen is the construction contractor for the new building with Angus-Young as the architectural firm.

George Cullen, Co-President of JP Cullen, Bradley Werginz, Principal Architect at Angus-Young, and Lisa Hurda, BTC Director of Advancement & Foundation, also spoke at the ceremony.

Completion of the Public Safety Education Center is expected in late spring 2024.