RATHDRUM - North Idaho College's $15 million Career Technical Education Facility will rise in Rathdrum this year.

Construction on the 100,000-square-foot building - on Lancaster Road on the west side of the Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC) - is expected to start around May, with completion pegged for July 2016, said Chris Martin, NIC's vice president for finance.

"This shows the college's commitment to workforce development across the region," Martin said. "This will help us meet a demand and have an eye on the future."

The seven-classroom facility will house programs in welding, machining, industrial mechanics, outdoor recreational vehicle technology, diesel technology, computer-aided design, automotive maintenance and automotive technology.

Those programs currently exist on NIC's main campus in Coeur d'Alene and will move to the Rathdrum site.

"There will be better lab space and opportunities for expansion," Martin said. "A lot of the existing labs are at capacity. There's waiting lists with some of the programs."

The building will include a two-story classroom wing and a single story for all of the labs.

Martin said the design for the facility - by Architects West of Coeur d'Alene - is about to be finalized. A general contractor hasn't been chosen. A building permit also must be obtained.

Martin said $15 million has been set aside in a capital reserve fund to pay for the building. Therefore, it will not raise taxes.

"That was great foresight by the board of trustees to set aside the funds so there is not any impact (to taxpayers)," Martin said.

Martin said the NIC Foundation is considering a capital campaign to fund some of the equipment in the facility.

The annexation of the 40-acre site was approved in 2011. The Rathdrum City Council last week agreed to modifications regarding access points and landscaping on the site.

"The city is very excited about having NIC out here," said Kevin Jump, Rathdrum's engineer. "It should add synergy to what KTEC is already doing with technical training."

Martin said the building will only consume 10 acres of the site. The remaining land will be used for future expansion.

Sidewalks will connect KTEC to the new building.