Gateway Technical College today held an opening ceremony for the newly named Emergency Vehicle Operation Course sponsored by Kunes Automotive Group, a center that will meet the needs of Gateway students in many different programs as well as provide a training site for the college’s law enforcement academy and area first responders.

The track was named in recognition of the generous gift made by the Kunes Country Auto Group of $250,000 to the Gateway Technical College Foundation to support student scholarships in automotive technology, diesel technology and public safety training.

“This new partnership between Gateway and Kunes Country Auto Group is an example of the commitment and support our community has for education and training in critical career pathways,” said Gateway Technical College President and CEO Bryan Albrecht.

“I am grateful for the financial support Gregg Kunes has provided to our college foundation. This will serve as a legacy, increasing college access for generations of Gateway students.”

Bob Gardner, Parts and Service director for Kunes Auto Group, said he hopes the impact of the contribution will be felt throughout the college.

“This partnership extends beyond the EVOC center and into the classrooms here at Gateway through scholarships,” said Gardner. “The center that we are here at today is a reflection that we are all in this together.”

The center is located adjacent to the college’s Horizon Center for Transportation Technology in Kenosha.  The site will serve the training needs of students in commercial driver’s license (CDL), automotive, diesel, motorcycle safety and emergency medical services programs as well as the college’s law enforcement academy.

“This is the only facility like this in the tri-county area,” said Town of Delavan Police Chief Ray Clark, who is also a certified master EVOC instructor. “It’s something that students as well as area law enforcement can use. In order for us to train well, we need real-life scenarios, and this will be the place to do that training.”

The track has one overall loop in addition to other areas designed to mimic actual street scenes – such as a four-way stop and a roundabout – for law enforcement academy recruits and law enforcement to train. Half of the academy’s EVOC training is lecture, but then they take their work to the track to gain real-life simulation experience.

“The Gateway EVOC track is a valuable resource for law enforcement and transportation service career training,” said Albrecht. “Having a partner like Gregg Kunes adds to our mission of industry-aligned training that adds value to our students to successfully enter their career.”