2 months after storms, Joliet Junior College City Center campus set to reopen

The Joliet Junior College City Center campus in downtown Joliet will reopen Monday after extensive repairs to the roof and heating, ventilation and air conditioning system were done in response to damage from storms July 14.

In a statement Friday, JJC officials said the repairs included the “restoration of the fresh air circulation system and the installation of a new intake plenum for the rooftop HVAC unit.”

“These repairs were necessary in order to restore a healthy, safe environment for all students and staff,” JJC officials said.

The City Center campus building had been closed since a metal covering for the HVAC system was blown off the roof of the building and onto the roof of the neighboring Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 during a July 14 storm that produced high winds in downtown Joliet.

The JJC Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting Aug. 6 to approve repairs that will cost $223,651.

At the time, JJC spokeswoman Kelly Rohder-Tonelli said money would be spent to repair an automation system used to circulate fresh air through the building.

There are 733 students enrolled at City Center-based programs, JJC officials said.

Those programs include culinary arts, the department of adult education and learning, the Entrepreneur and Business Center and workforce development.