Green River Community College’s Human Sciences, Social Sciences and Business and Industry buildings date to the mid-1960s.
Now at four decades, all of the buildings are cramped, technologically obsolete energy hogs.
The sorry state of things did not escape the attention of the state of Washington. This spring the state will spend about $25 million to replace the wood-framed structures with a three-story, 80,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art steel and concrete building.
Demolition crews will raze the old Science and Technology (ST)complex within three to four weeks, and construction will follow in May or June. The first classes will meet there in the fall of 2011.
“What we’ll have is a modern facility with updated, current technology that is much more accessible for students with disabilities,” said Sam Ball, Dean of Instruction and Capital Projects at GRCC. “It will be an environmentally-friendly, highly-energy efficient building with classrooms designed for current teaching methodologies, which are not so much about standup and lecture anymore.”
Balls said the old ceramics lab in the HS building has relied on outdated technology, and the kilns were unreliable. None of the buildings offered elevators. All while there were computers in the buildings, none of them were adequately wired for it.
“Any technological repairs were just Band-Aids,” Ball said.
The new building will feature faculty and staff offices, classrooms and a lab facility. It will house five instructional divisions: business; English; fine arts; humanities; social science; and humanities.
“It will be good for them,” Ball said of the odd pairing of fine arts and business.
The building with its brick and metal siding will be constructed on the site of the ST complex in the center of campus.
“We like to protect the beautiful campus, and whenever possible we will build new buildings on old building sites,” said Ball.
No classes have been taught in the old science building since the college finished work on the new science building two years ago.
The building-to-be does not yet have a name, but one has been proposed to the GRCC Board of Trustees. They are expected to pick a name at the April board meeting.
“The construction costs are going to in the $25 million range,” Ball said. “We’re about to do the announcement for contractors to bid. We’re hearing about the possibility of very low bids and some coupled with aggressive change orders.”
Ball noted that the state uses a competitive process to determine what building projects at which community colleges get funded.
Elsewhere
GRCC student Doug Gannon recently received the second-highest academic award in the state at the annual All-Washington Academic Team celebration in Olympia. In addition to being recognized as a Trustee Scholar – one of two in the state – Gannon was singled out by Gov. Christine Gregoire for his service to America and his desire to go into a “green” career. Gannon, who is mulling various career and educational options in the alternative/sustainable energy field, spent 16 years in the Air Force. He came to Green River through the Veteran’s Conservation Corps program and will graduate this spring with a degree in geographic information systems and natural resources. Earlier this month, Gannon was named to the All-USA Coca-Cola Gold Scholar Team, which honors the top 70 community college students in the country.
