Tri-C breaks ground on Simulation Village

Cuyahoga Community College announced it will elevate first responder training with the construction of Simulation Village at the KeyBank Public Safety Training Center at the Western Campus in Parma.

A streetscape with buildings representing commercial and residential spaces will serve as the center of Simulation Village, according to a news release. The mock town will allow for training drills that more closely reflect real-life settings faced by police, firefighters and rescue workers.

The new training ground will serve as a resource for cadets preparing to join safety forces as well as veterans honing their skills.

“The goal of Simulation Village is to provide first responder training that leads to safer streets, safer neighborhoods and a safer community,” said Tri-C president Alex Johnson in the release. “The lessons learned here will save lives.”

A groundbreaking ceremony for the $17 million project took place June 26.

Simulation Village will include three commercial buildings — including one modeled after a gas station — plus a residential structure. Buildings will feature moveable interior wall systems to create different scenarios.

In addition to the mock village, plans call for construction of a 14,300-square-foot center with a mock 9-1-1 call center, classrooms and a hightech video training simulator.

Voter approval of TriC’s bond issue request in November made the project possible, the release stated. The issue will raise $227.5 million for the college to create new instructional space, keep pace with changing technology and address decades of wear and tear on buildings.

Simulation Village is one of several construction projects launching this year. Work also has begun on the new Western Campus STEM Center in Parma, the Westshore Campus Center in Westlake and an expansion of the Advanced Technology Training Center in Cleveland.

Voter approval of Tri-C’s bond issue request in November made the project possible, the release stated.