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Local organizers pitch countywide Career Consortium and career center at underused Pheasantfeld campus
Summary
A presenter urged the Barry County Board of Commissioners to support a countywide Career Consortium to connect industry, schools and postsecondary partners, and invited commissioners and residents to a follow-up meeting to discuss reuse of the 93.5-acre Pheasantfeld campus as a career center.
Chris Stafford, identifying himself as a longtime Barry County resident, presented a proposal on Oct. 28 to form a Career Consortium that would bring business, industry and education together to create workplace pathways for students across the county.
Stafford said Barry County lacks a countywide career center and that the county’s 93.5-acre Pheasantfeld campus is underused. He said that, in prior funding rounds such as ARPA, the county missed opportunities because it did not have a centralized career center and that a consolidated center could attract state and federal resources and training equipment.
Stafford cited a survey discussed at a joint meeting of local school boards in which he said roughly 68.1% of respondents supported a collaborative career center, with about 20% unsure. He invited commissioners and the public to a more detailed countywide meeting at 5 p.m. at BCEC and urged a public–private–philanthropic funding approach.
Why it matters: Countywide workforce training infrastructure can influence whether employers locate or expand locally and whether students have direct paths into skilled employment. Stafford argued that one career center serving multiple public school districts could reduce duplication of programs and attract partnerships and private contributions.
Stafford asked commissioners to consider public, private and philanthropic contributions as part of a funding model, and to engage local schools, the community college and employers. He noted the campus has substantial parking and facilities that could support multi-district programming.
No formal action, funding request or vote on the consortium occurred at this meeting; Stafford’s presentation was recorded as an informational item and an invitation to further discussion.
