News Release

CONTACT: Della Elliott, Public Information, (619) 644-7690, della.elliott@gcccd.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         October 11, 2006

Grossmont, Cuyamaca colleges benefit from $28 million so far in
repairs and renovations

Voter-approved Prop. R means much
more than just new buildings

EL CAJON – – The $126 million construction of six new buildings at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges is the most obvious sign of the college district’s ambitious makeover of the two campuses, but also key to the historic transformation are the $28 million encumbered thus far for behind-the-scenes repairs and upgrades of aging buildings and infrastructure.

In addition to safety and aesthetic improvements, the renovations have produced energy savings, and most beneficial to students, an environment conducive to better learning.

As Prop. R, the $207 million local bond measure approved by East County voters in November 2002, nears its four-year anniversary, college and district officials recently took stock of a dizzying array of fix-it jobs and multimillion-dollar renovations of everything from fire alarms and air-conditioning units to entire buildings.

“With all the major new construction going on, it’s sometimes easy to overlook the work that’s being done to repair, renovate and update existing facilities and building components,” said Governing Board President Deanna Weeks. “The governing board has received ongoing reports on the smaller projects, but looking at the list in its entirety reveals how gradually and thoroughly the colleges are being overhauled. The amount of effort that’s gone into the planning and execution of these refurbish and upgrade projects is colossal, as are the results.”

In total, the Prop. R spending plan last approved by the governing board in mid-August shows $38.7 million committed to repair, renovate and upgrade projects for both colleges -- $18.3 million for Grossmont and $14.4 million for Cuyamaca -- and $6 million for districtwide technology infrastructure improvements. In addition to the Prop. R monies, millions of dollars from other sources, such as state scheduled maintenance funds, are helping to cover the cost of the massive campus overhauls.

The projects run the gamut. At Grossmont, they include replacing fire alarms, roofing, painting, bathroom renovations, plumbing, boilers, lighting, ceilings, air handlers and chillers for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and asbestos abatement. At Cuyamaca, they include roofing, electrical service, lighting, reworking interior spaces to fit current instructional needs, interior finishes, underground piping, plumbing, and air-conditioning upgrades.

There have also been millions spent districtwide on energy-conservation projects – installing vending machine sensors to save power and motion sensors to turn lights off when rooms are vacant, replacing old lighting with high-efficiency units, installing skylights, insulation and more.

Chancellor Omero Suarez noted that excellent preparation and advance work made it possible for much of the renovation and repair work to be done quite early, just months after the passage of Prop. R.

“Our planning certainly paid off,” he said. “The bond was passed November 2002 and come July 1, 2003, we hit the ground running with energy-savings projects.  This had many positive results as the changes in lighting, heating and air-conditioning made classrooms better learning and teaching environments. The cost savings were important and have certainly helped us with the long heat wave this year.”

Ken Sobel, president of the Prop. R Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, had high praise for the management and spending of the bond monies.

 “The governing board and district are to be commended for using Prop. R monies as promised to voters, not just for the highly visible new buildings, but for using the funds wisely to refurbish the older buildings and facilities deemed in good enough shape to salvage,” Sobel said. “The many, many renovation and repair projects that have been taking place at both colleges are truly impressive in scope. The district’s implementation of Prop. R has been excellent.”

• Grossmont upgrades

At Grossmont College, nearly $17 million of the Prop. R funds have been encumbered thus far for repair and upgrades -- $8.1 million that’s already been spent on projects ranging from replacing bathroom fixtures to converting a portion of the old library into a high-technology mall, and $8.7 million that will be spent in 2007 for a major renovation of Building 400A – the exercise science facility rated by Los Angeles-based consultant 3D/International as the building most in need of repair.

The Building 400 renovation – the costliest of the Prop. R repair projects – involves tearing down the 400A building and completely renovating and upgrading the classrooms, locker rooms, showers, restrooms and offices, as well as replacing water and sewer lines and the electrical and air-conditioning systems. It also involves renovating the smaller of the two gyms -- referred to as the lower gym -- and converting the upper level into a dual-purpose classroom shared by the exercise science and dance departments. The weight room that’s now in the lower gym will relocate to the 400A building.

The yearlong renovation entails relocating the various exercise science and athletics programs. Building 400A will be vacated in mid-2007 for reconstruction to get fully under way. The moving of the artistic dance program, for example, is contingent on the completion of the digital arts building now under construction and on tap for a January grand opening.

“The photography classrooms, which will move to the digital arts building, will be remodeled upon vacancy and that’s where the main dance rooms will be moved,” said Tim Flood, Grossmont’s facilities and operations director. “Additionally, plans are under way for renovations of the rest of the 200 complex, which houses music, art, and communications classrooms.”

The Building 400 renovation is the culmination of a long list of facilities improvements benefiting the exercise science and athletics programs in the last five years, including renovating the baseball and softball fields; replacing the running track, a project largely funded by the Associated Students of Grossmont College; resurfacing five tennis courts; renovating the swimming pool; making major repairs to the main gym, and much more.

“I did not realize the amount of work that has gone into this area until I started to put together the list of items that we have been able to complete in the exercise science and athletic area,” Flood wrote in a memo last summer that identified more than 20 repair and renovation projects.

• From the old comes the new tech mall

Of the repair and renovation work already completed at Grossmont, the largest thus far is the $5.2 million conversion of a section of the old library into the technology mall, which features an expansive central area set up for open computer use and 11 adjoining learning labs representing various disciplines, including English, math, assistive technology, and business office technology. The facility houses nearly 500 new computers available for lab and open use by students. In addition to Prop. R monies, a variety of funding sources, both state and local, funded the project.

Cesar Morga, a Grossmont College student and tutor, spoke enthusiastically about the tech mall at the time of its spring 2004 completion.

“I love it,” said the computer science major, who tutored in the student educational technology lab, one of nine tutoring labs moved from scattered sites around the campus to the new, centralized facility. “No more complaints from students about how slow the computers are and having to kick people off so that everyone can have a turn.”

• Still more projects

Other major renovation and repair projects completed at Grossmont include the $618,000 remodel of two large public and two faculty restrooms in the 500 Building; the $1.4 million installation of a central air-chiller plant; and a $1.4 million energy-reduction project.

Cathy Keyes, Grossmont’s student trustee on the governing board, praised the restroom renovations in the 500 Building as a big improvement, with their automatic toilets and faucets and attractive tilework.

“I’ve spoken with students about the buildings on campus and the pet peeves that people – especially women – have are the old bathrooms and the (Building 400) showers and lockers,” Keyes said. “If that building is improved as much as the Building 500 bathrooms, I’m sure the students will be very happy.”

Beyond the $17 million encumbered so far for repairs and upgrades of buildings and infrastructure, Grossmont has also benefited from the $3.1 million reconfiguration of the entrance road to improve safety and traffic circulation.

• Cuyamaca upgrades

Across town at Cuyamaca College, construction of a new science building, a student center and a communication arts building is taking center stage, but, as at Grossmont, a staggering amount of renovation, repair and upgrade work has also been taking place.

The largest of the renovation projects was the automotive technology complex remodeling, a $3.7 million revamp and expansion of the original facility built in 1978. The project, which converted older labs into up-to-date lecture rooms and added an automotive electronics testing lab, a heavy equipment lab and a computer lab with state-of-the-art automotive diagnostic equipment, in addition to installing air-conditioning, was completed in January 2005.

Student Zaneta “Z” Vasquez said that beyond the “gee whiz” factor of the now high-tech facility, it’s the little things that matter, such as the more comfortable seating and natural lighting of the classrooms, illuminated by special skylights with adjustable apertures.

“When you’re uncomfortable in the classroom, you don’t learn as well,” Vasquez pointed out.

Other major renovation and repair projects completed at Cuyamaca include the $2.3 million central plant upgrade, which involved the installation of a central generator and the replacement of boilers and chillers with new high-efficiency systems large enough to control the heating and air-conditioning in the cluster of buildings housing administration offices and the main classrooms, as well as new buildings currently under construction; and the $678,000 remodeling of the greenhouse and other improvements for the ornamental horticulture program.

• Improving learning

A significant classroom renovation was the remodeling of a computer-aided drafting, or CAD, lab in which old tables originating from the mid-‘70s that were designed for hand-drafting were replaced with furniture built to provide easy access to computers. Power poles were also removed and a trench was cut out across the floor to allow for sub-floor wiring.

Another renovation project was the recently completed $150,000 resurfacing of the all-weather, rubberized Atlas Poly-5000 track – the only competition-grade track at a San Diego Community College. Touted as state-of-the-art when it was built 12 years ago, the track had become worn and rutted to the point that athletes began complaining of shin-splint injuries.

“The last track had gotten worn down to the point it was missing the top coat and wasn’t very shin-friendly,” said Jessica Englis, a member of the women’s cross-country team who joined fellow athletes and others for a victory lap around the track following the ribbon-cutting and plaque presentation at an Oct. 5 ceremony.

The Cuyamaca College Foundation contributed $50,000 to the track improvements.

In addition to the $11 million in Prop. R monies spent to date for facilities repairs and upgrades, Cuyamaca has also spent more than $1.7 million since 2004 to add some 500 parking spaces near the college entrance at Fury Lane and Rancho San Diego Parkway.

For more information about Grossmont College in El Cajon and Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego, go to www.gcccd.edu. More details on construction are also available by clicking on the link, “Construction News.”

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Intergovernmental Relations, Economic Development, and Public Information
8800 Grossmont College Drive  El Cajon, CA 92020-1799
Phone 619-644-7573 Fax 619-644-7924 www.gcccd.edu