Moraine Park Technical College will expand its campus offerings and footprint through a new regional center that will house a 17,937-square-foot building for lab and instructional space and a 3,500-square-foot fire training tower. Named the Horicon Regional Center, the facility will help meet the current demand for firefighters and paramedics at the 50 fire departments in the region and will also provide training spaces for other programs, helping to meet extended employer needs district-wide.
Moraine Park received approval from the District Board to move forward with the purchase of a 28-acre lot on Highway 33, between Beaver Dam and Horicon. The Horicon Regional Center is one of the four major referendum projects for the College.
Leaders at Moraine Park began negotiations with the City of Horicon early in 2023. The approval to move forward with the $2 million purchase was approved at the April MPTC District Board meeting and the sale was completed on June 15.
“This partnership with the City of Horicon really is a great opportunity all around,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “Our Beaver Dam Campus does not have room for expansion, so we had no choice but to look elsewhere. We serve a large district, and it is important to us to be accessible to most stations, and the central location offers just that.”
Moraine Park will break ground on the Horicon Regional Center later this summer, with expected completion by the summer of 2024. Instruction is expected to begin in the fall 2024 semester.
To learn more about Moraine Park’s future expansion projects, visit morainepark.edu/future.