Note to readers: This article is part one of a two-day series that will explore McHenry County College’s proposed expansion plan.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College officials are making the case for expanding health and wellness programs with a multimillion dollar building, a plan some have criticized as wasteful.

The college is in the beginning stages of a feasibility study that will determine whether a planned $42 million building expansion is possible. Preliminary plans call for a 120,000-square-foot building for health sciences and wellness classrooms, labs, a health clinic and a fitness center.

“No matter what anybody says, there is no space for us to put those labs,” McHenry County College President Vicky Smith said.