(Radio Iowa) – One year after a narrow defeat, voters Tuesday in Iowa Western Community College’s 13-county region overwhelmingly approved a 55-million dollar bond issue for a long list of facilities improvements. Iowa Western President Daniel Kinney says he was “blown away” by the referendum’s margin of victory, which easily cleared the 60-percent super-majority needed for passage. Last year’s bond issue attempt fell less than one-percentage point short.

“We did a lot better job this time around talking about it, sharing the dreams that we had for southwest Iowa, and what we can do at Iowa Western Community College,” Kinney says. “A year ago tonight, I was pretty disappointed, being less than a half-percent away, but knowing that, I know that we can get it out there. So, I have to thank the voters for getting out there.” Proceeds from the bond issue will cover construction of so-called “flexible industrial training space” at Iowa Western’s Clarinda campus, and centers in Shenandoah and Atlantic for Career Technical Education, or C-T-E courses. Also planned is construction of a transportation logistics center at the school’s Council Bluffs campus.

Kinney says training provided by the new facilities will provide a workforce southwest Iowa businesses and industries need. “The jobs that we are going to create or train for that comes out of this money is what we need to turn this economy around in southwest Iowa,” he says. “To keep the good factories and businesses in our communities, and to grow those businesses. That’s what they need. I hear it from business leaders every day — produce me more diesel techs, auto techs, welders, HVAC — whatever it may be. We continue to hear that.”

Unofficial results from Tuesday’s city-school elections show the bond issue passing with 70.54% — that’s 15,374 yes votes to 6,420 no votes.