OTTUMWA — The Job Corps site out by the airport has come one more step closer to completion.

“[Tuesday] evening we found out there was a ‘notice of award’ for the Job Corps Center in Ottumwa by the DOL (U.S. Department of Labor),” said Bob Morrissey, assistant to the president at Indian Hills Community College.

He said Grooms and Co. has been chosen by the federal government to build the center. They have 10 days to get their bonds and assurances back to the DOL, he said.

On Wednesday, Morrissey said though IHCC President Jim Lindenmayer spearheaded the push to get a Job Corps center here starting seven years ago, it’s not just an IHCC project. It was a community effort to bring the valuable, job-producing site to the region.

Between salaries and purchases to run the center, “they’ll pump $8-10 million into the region,” he said.

The construction portion of the job will be over $20 million, Morrissey estimated, and means a federal investment of $25-30 million fully equipped.

“This is what we’ve really been looking for; what we had been waiting for,” Morrissey said. “If [everything goes well] Grooms will get a notice to proceed. That’s the green light for them to start their construction operation.”

In that case, he said, the timeline puts the first students enrolled arriving around January of 2011.

“This Ottumwa site will be the first American Recovery Act award made for Job Corps in the nation. We’re just tickled,” Morrissey said.

But wasn’t the project already greenlighted?

“Before [Tuesday] night we were at 99.9 [percent sure], but until it’s there... well, this is a great relief,” he said.

Morrissey recommended speaking with the architect, but he could not be reached by press time Wednesday.

Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or by e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.