Since Dallas County repurposed the old County Care Facility into the Human Services Campus in 2015, one of the primary residents of the new facility has been Des Moines Area Community College. Now, plans are in motion to renovate a defunct building at the site to better accommodate the college’s agricultural education.

Starting last year, the Board of Supervisors began exploring possible uses for the old bus barn on the campus, and DMACC representatives proposed turning it into classrooms. They pointed out that while much of what they do on the property involves the surrounding County-owned fields, there’s still facets of their instruction that require an indoor learning space. The Board was amenable to the proposal, and since then DMACC has been working with the Farnsworth Group, formerly Design Alliance, on ways to renovate the bus barn to their needs.

At a recent Supervisors meeting, Jerry Purdy with the Farnsworth Group presented the initial blueprints. The proposed plans include two classrooms, a relocated restroom, and a lab area. Purdy said he shared the blueprints with a local contractor who specializes in this particular type of building, and came back with an estimated project cost of $89,245, well under the initial projection. Purdy also pointed out that the quote is under the threshold for public bidding requirements, so they could offer the project to the contractor if the Board desired. DMACC representatives emphasized that the construction would be paid through the Farm Fund the college already pays into for occupying the Human Services Campus, which currently has around $450,000, so there would be no burden on taxpayers to execute the project.

Classes taught in the proposed classrooms and lab would include agronomy, soil research, crop scouting, and precision agriculture. The Supervisors made no decision on the plans, but indicated they would be supportive when it came time to officially approve the project.