JANESVILLE – Blackhawk Technical College is mulling what to do with roughly 23 acres of land acquired last October.
According to property records, there were two separate transactions, both occurring last October. Blackhawk acquired both properties from Wil-Hu LLC. All the land is adjacent to Highway 51 and the college.
One of the acquisitions – worth $270,000 – was three acres. That was acquired via a donation. Another was 20 acres, assessed at just shy of $1 million. The college has not confirmed whether or not the parcel was donated or purchased.
In an email to The 69, Blackhawk Executive Director of Advancement and Foundation Cassie Hartje said the foundation isn't ruling out increasing the college's footprint. The space could be used to support new programs in construction trades or add athletic fields, but no plans have been finalized.
In recent years, the college has reduced its footprint across the county and expanded on its Central Campus on Highway G between Janesville and Beloit. Blackhawk sold its manufacturing building in Milton to KANDU Industries, slowly moving its students to the Central Campus. In 2024, it opened its Innovative Manufacturing Education Center, or IMEC. The college also opened its Public Safety and Transportation Complex also in 2024 after a $32 million referendum four years earlier.
The college launched an athletic program in 2024 with teams in men's and women's basketball, men's golf, clay target shooting, women's volleyball and co-ed bowling. Teams compete against others in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association.
"The Foundation is open to collaboration opportunities to support College needs," Hartje said.
Hartje also said another option could be "simply maintaining for future use."
