Local officials held a forum Oct. 15 to discuss more details regarding the new Magnolia Center, which is included in the $485 million Lone Star College bond package up for voter approval in November and is proposed for construction between FM 149, FM 1486 and FM 1774.

"[We want to] get [the community] excited about [the Magnolia Center], get them to see the future [and] get them to see the possibilities," LSC–Montgomery president Austin Lane said. "If we get something like this for our community, this is going to enhance the quality of life. I think that's what we're all looking for."

The Magnolia Center is expected to span 60,000 square feet across 15 acres and accommodate an estimated 2,200 students, Lane said. The new institution is expected to be modeled similar to the LSC–Conroe Center and offer academic transfer programs as well as workforce education tailored to the Magnolia community, he said.

Kelly Hamann, president of the Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce, expressed a concern she has heard from community members about whether there is a need for a center in Magnolia. Some Magnolia residents have stressed the proximity of other LSC campuses and centers in the surrounding areas of Tomball, Montgomery and Conroe, she said.

With LSC enrollment growth climbing 68 percent systemwide since 2007, space utilization of existing facilities is a significant issue, Lane said. Some campuses, including LSC–North Harris, are having to nearly double typical classroom enrollment numbers to accommodate students into specialty programs such as nursing.

"I think what you need for Magnolia is that there's an opportunity to partner with not only businesses but [offer] the types of programs unique for Magnolia that would help our students get jobs," Lane said. "If you don't have enough welding stations in Conroe and everybody from Magnolia is trying go to Conroe, you aren't going to get into that program, and you're going to have to wait."

MISD board president Deborah Rose Miller said the district would likely enter into a partnership with the Magnolia Center to offer dual credit courses and help students graduate from high school with an associates degree.

"The Magnolia [Center] isn't about lessening the load to Conroe or Tomball," Miller said. "It will attract its own student population because we're opening up a whole new market. A community college is so much more than just a high school and even a two-year degree because it will allow us to attract some businesses we haven't been able to get here."

If the LSCS bond is approved Nov. 4, the exact site for the Magnolia Center could be determined in the coming months, and construction could begin in about one to two years, Lane said.