BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Students from the Bloomington Area Career Center’s (BACC) Construction Trades program got to participate in rebuilding the space which will soon be theirs.

What is currently referred to as the BACC, soon to be the Bloomington Career Academy (BCA), is getting a new space on Oakland Avenue, which formerly housed State Farm.

“It’s a great partnership for District 87 and State Farm to be able to make use of a building they weren’t really making use of just to expand educational opportunities for kids,” said BACC Director Bryce Hansen.

District 87 bought the building for $4.5 million, which they renamed the Willie G. and Gloria Brown Education Center back in March, and it will house the Bloomington Area Career Center and the Sarah E. Raymond School of Early Education.

Students got to hang drywall at the building while it’s in the rebuild process, which Hansen said was a fantastic opportunity for the students.

“They just finished their drywall unit and class and so it was a great chance for them to come out and apply those skills that they learned,” he said. “I think there’s a large degree, especially in this program, of just kind of the pride in the work.”

Programs offered through the career center include health sciences, graphic design, automotive technology and so many more avenues.

The building will be open and functional in August.

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