McHenry County College to build $9.3M Engagement Hall

McHenry County College will create a new events center on campus to host future community and college happenings, with the project receiving unanimous approval Thursday from the Board of Trustees.

The new venue, called Engagement Hall, will be placed near the Crystal Lake campus’ commons and cafeteria area and will have with a separate entrance and outdoor seating area. The hall will be used to host events that the college already hosts, such as job fairs, with the potential for more external community events.

The center is estimated to cost $9.3 million, according to MCC documents. The college already has put aside about $7.2 million for the work.

The remaining $2 million was expected to be covered by state funds, but the college was notified Monday that it will receive $2 million less than last year, MCC President Clint Gabbard said. MCC was able to secure a $2 million philanthropic donation from a private donor to fill the financial gap.

“I think it represents true givers because [the donor] wrote a paragraph about how joyfully he was giving,” Gabbard said, “about how grateful he was to be in a position to do something, and how this project seemed absolutely like it was going to promote something important for the college.”

The private donor was not named.

Officials proposed the idea last year, with a price tag estimated at that time at $5.5 million. Gabbard said he has been in talks with college officials about the project for about two years.

MCC board members approved bids totaling almost $7 million that include carpentry, demolition, excavation, electrical and masonry work. Along with the construction, the college also will perform needed maintenance on existing buildings that will be neighbors of the new center.

MCC currently uses a conference center, cafeteria, gymnasium and auditorium for events. But those spaces are limited in what kinds of events they can host because of the size and structure of the rooms, Gabbard said in a presentation to the board earlier this month. Plus, hosting events in the cafeteria and gym disrupts students, barring them from a place to get food or practice sports.

The cafeteria was closed to students at least 20 times, and the gymnasium was disrupted 29 times last school year, Gabbard said.

“When we hold events on campus in the gym, we tend to disrupt athletics, and they have to go off campus, and they rent space frequently to do practicing,” he said.

Engagement Hall, which Gabbard describes as “dynamic” and “multifunctional,” can be converted into a classroom, theater, career fair or banquet setting. The plan includes a permanent stage with electrical and sound equipment. The space is “slightly smaller” than the college’s current gymnasium, MCC Marketing, Communications and Development Vice President Christina Haggerty said.

“We would love to set up a weeklong art exhibit in an event space that displays them nicely for folks to come in,” Gabbard said. “What we tend to do is end up doing those in the hallway.”

Gabbard said he imagines the new space can be a “focal point” for the college, with an updated entrance featuring wood beams.