Northland Workforce Development Center seeks final donations, outlines new Northland training facility and July groundbreaking
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Summary
Representatives from the Northland Workforce Development Center described a planned skilled-trades training facility, said the project has secured major state and city funding, and asked local leaders to consider municipal investment to close a remaining fundraising gap.
Representatives of the Northland Workforce Development Center presented plans for a new training facility in Platte County and asked local leaders to consider financial support as the project moves into construction.
Kathy Rose, mayor of Riverside, Missouri, spoke to the Kearney Board of Aldermen about the center's mission to expand trades training for high-school students and adults. Rose said the center will provide opportunities for students who "don't wanna go to college or can't go to college" to learn skilled trades and obtain long-term employment: "Kids that don't wanna go to college or can't go to college will have an opportunity to be able to have skills to be able to have a job that they can keep for the rest of their lives." She encouraged nearby cities to consider modest budget support to close a remaining fundraising gap.
Brian Noller, a Northland presenter, described the site and program. The new building will include an 11,000-square-foot expo space for career fairs and large gatherings, classrooms for daytime high-school programming and evening classes for adults, and dedicated spaces for electrical and other trades. Noller said the center serves students from seven large school districts and private schools across the Northland. He noted that 43 students from the City of Kearney have used the program over the past six years and that 53 students came from the Kearney School District over that period.
Presenters emphasized the project's fundraising milestones. Noller and Rose said state and local commitments are already in hand: they referenced an earlier state contribution of about $30,000,000 and a $25,000,000 investment from the City of Kansas City. The presenters said they have raised $68,000,000 confirmed but still face a remaining gap (presenter cited the bottom-line figure "5.758" in the presentation materials). Local industry groups including IBEW with Power Partners KC and NECA KC and NUCA provided initial donations of $50,000 each to expand electrical and utility-related programming.
The presenters asked cities to consider investments and said the group planned a ceremonial groundbreaking around July 9, pending scheduling with the governor. Construction was described as beginning in late July, with an initial completion target of April 15, 2027 and a planned first school-year opening in July or August 2027. The presenters said the center is located adjacent to the new Platte Purchase Middle School and nearby commercial and recreation sites, and estimated travel times from Kearney as about seven minutes by bus for some routes.
No formal funding vote or city commitment occurred at the meeting; the presentation was informational and intended to build awareness and local support.
