After much controversy over funding, the new Fine Arts Building is finally underway. This is after local media as well as open government figures disagreed with the type of funding that was affording the college to start the construction process. The main debate was over the Series 2014D Bonds.
These bonds were the fourth set as part of Measure G, which was voted on in the March 2004 primary election. In essence, the funding comes from capital appreciation bonds (CAB) versus conventional bonds. Fortunately, the issue came to a resolution after California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 182, thus lowering the interest on the CABs.
Funding is one of the major hurdles that had to be overcome in order to break ground on the new Fine Arts Building. Now, the project appears to be hitting its stride.
As many students may have noticed the Fine Arts Building has been under construction for the past few months. Since the very eventful demolishment of the original building in Fall 2014, the green fences have been surrounding the progress of the new structure.
Director of facilities and construction, Fred Diamond along with Pinner Construction have played leading roles in the alterations taking place at the Fine Arts Building.
“It’s going really well. They’re on schedule,” Diamond said. Pinner Construction is five months in to the 2-year-long project. According to the Pinner Construction website the scheduled date of completion is summer 2016.
In the beginning of the project, it didn’t appear as if much is going on visually. However, according to Diamond, multiple things are now in the works simultaneously.
The most prominent occurrence at the moment is the steel frame that towers over Student Services Building.
“A lot of work in the beginning is under ground,” Diamond said.
“The steel work alone on the project is over $2 million. If you think about that, the steel started fabbing (fabricating) out off site, ‘cause that’s how they do it. And that was about three months ago,” Diamond said.
“A lot of the things run concurrently. The decking…that’s going on right now. They can’t do any framing until that is in place…most of the structural steel is up now.”
Claudette Dain, CPA, vice president of finance & administrative services, has also been at the forefront of the new structure.
“The project is moving along nicely. We are on schedule and the structural steel phase is progressing swiftly. The building is beginning to take shape and we are excited for what the future of this project will provide to our students and the community,” she stated.
With the steel structure making quick progress, according to Diamond, the next phase to be expected is the framing.
“Very shortly you’re going to see framing going on which are all the interior, like the walls and stuff like that,” Diamond said.
In just over a year, the new Art Building is expected to reach completion.
