COEUR d'ALENE -

North Idaho College may decide to temporarily house some of its Professional Technical Education courses at the former Jacklin Seed facility in Post Falls.

Mark Browning, NIC's vice president of communications and marketing, said Tuesday that while no decisions have been made, the college is looking into the possibility of temporarily housing its welding and outdoor power/recreation vehicle programs at the Jacklin Seed facility.

Jacklin Land Company made an earlier proposal to the NIC Board of Trustees to permanently house the whole PTE program, but the board has been divided on where to locate a new facility.

"By 2016, we need to find a new location for the welding program," Browning said, explaining that the lease on their Industrial Way building expires then and the owner of that facility has other plans for the property.

The outdoor power/recreation vehicle program needs a new location, too. Browning said the lease on the Ramsey Road location is coming to an end as well.

Until the board is ready to decide on a permanent location, they're anxious to find a short-term solution. Browning said they are looking at a potential five-year lease.

"We need something to get us through the gap period," he said. "The original Jacklin proposal was interesting, so we approached them."

NIC Trustee Ron Nilson has led the charge on prioritizing the expansion of the college's PTE program at a new location. He said that something like the Jacklin proposal may be a way to give the board the time it needs to thoroughly evaluate all of its options.

"We really need to get the short-term needs taken care of first," Nilson said. "Instead of making a snap decision on the location, this could buy us some time."

Nilson made the suggestion to the board after hearing a presentation earlier this month on potentially bundling an event center with the PTE building on the old Atlas Mill site on Seltice Way.

"I did not like that idea," he said.

Tom Stoeser, of Jacklin Land Company, said the college approached his company asking if they would consider a short-term lease agreement.

"We are working on a proposal now," he said. "But it is just for the two programs."

Stoeser said he's unsure how much space will be needed at this point, but he's working with Mike Mires, NIC's dean of Professional, Technical & Workforce Education, to determine the needs.

Browning said there are still some things that need to be worked out before the issue is presented to the board. Specifically, they need to determine if the short-term agreement will give the college room to expand the programs, which are in high demand.

"All that still needs to be discussed," he said.