While most of the news from North Idaho College is just proposals ,a lot is on the near horizon from the Coeur d' Alene school. Here is a look at some of what we know...
NIC looking into building a new arena at Riverstone in Coeur d' Alene.
The process is very early in development however the topic of replacing the aging , on campus Christianson Gym with a new much larger arena elsewhere in Coeur d' Alene has arisen and is already creating much buzz in the Coeur d' Alene community.
The proposal calls for North Idaho College to build a new 5,000 seat arena in the northwestern edge of the Riverstone Development off of Seltice Way. The college will first have to look into if the funding for such a project can be secured, construction of such an arena may happen but it will likely be at least a few months away. If built the school would be the main tenant of the Arena but other events could be housed there , such as concerts,etc...
An arena on land in the same district of Coeur d' Alene has been studied before but eventually fizzled out. We will continue to watch this story as it develops.
NIC leases space for it's new aerospace program.
North Idaho College has signed a lease on a 15,000 square foot building along Dakota Ave nearby Pappy Boyington Field Airport in Hayden. The new building will be used for the college's new aerospace training program which is set to begin later this year and is funded by a grant which the school acquired in 2012.
The new building at the Airport will in turn save money for the school as the new building is also big enough to house the schools operations and classes that take place in the Ramsey Technical Building, located in Coeur d' Alene along Ramsey Rd. nearby the Kroc Center. The school will move out of that space and end it's lease for that building.
NIC to get new coffee shop in the SUB Student Union Building.
Renovation work has already begun on the main floor of the SUB Student Union in the middle of campus at Coeur d' Alene. The renovations are being done to make way for a new coffee shop space in what was once the Windy Bay room nearby the building's main entry.
The new coffee shop will replace the much smaller coffee stand called The Educated Cup which has been by the Mica Peak Exchange Book Store. Once the coffee shop moves the former space will become a help desk for a college program.
Basement of NIC'S SUB Student Union Building proposed to be turned into a multi-cultural center.
The basement level of the SUB building is to become an on campus multi-cultural center . The basement is already home to office space for the school's American Indian Student Alliance and additional office space will be taken over by the student program,The Gay-Straight Alliance.
Also some minor renovations and redecoration's are planned for the space. Some of the current office space tenants may also move to the main floor but planning is not yet complete for what the multi-cultural center might include.
For more info on North Idaho College visit their web site at-
www.nic.edu
