The Mountaineer

Issue date: 10/9/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Noel Aguirre Travis Clemens, a construction worker, takes his break. behind him is the soon to be completed presidental building [Click to enlarge]

Due to skyrocketing costs in construction materials, Mt. San Antonio College has just enough funding to finish undergoing construction through 2010.

Future projects originally designated as part of the $221 million Bond Measure K in 2001 will receive separate funding from a new bond proposal in 2008.

"We're very confident that the new bond will be approved," said Mike Gregoryk, vice president of administrative services. "When people think of Mt. SAC they think high quality, whether it's championship athletics or academics..."

The last bond proposal took several times to pass before it was approved in 2001.

Costs for construction materials increased over 100 percent in some cases.

"There was never any money wasted," Gregoryk said.

The Citizens Oversight Committee has been involved in every step of the project and is satisfied with the results. The unforeseen jump in construction costs can be attributed to the Hurricane Katrina reconstruction and massive development in China, Gregoryk said.

Several of the building projects funded by the 2001 bond are already completed. The newest building occupied by students and staff is the science building in building 60.

"Building 60, I would say is about 95 percent complete," Gregoryk said. "At this point we're going down the list, punching everything off as finished."

With renovation on Buildings 7 and 11 already started this semester, the science classes and faculty offices were forced into the uncompleted science center.

Mark Boryta, Earth Science and Astronomy teacher, was not too thrilled with the move.

"It's ridiculous, the last two minutes of a football game is what counts, everything that's done up to then doesn't matter," said Boryta. "It's when the building is finished that matters, and the building is not finished yet."

Students returning from last spring had more than a new 16-week schedule to adjust to this semester. Traffic congestion in the "F" parking lot from having only one exit and all the math classes being moved into the parking lot, drew grumbling from students and sympathetic consolations from teachers.

Groundbreaking of construction for the future Child Development Center in the "H" parking lot is another alteration in the parking landscape. The Child Development Center will be used for teaching classes in child development and providing childcare for up to 160 children of students and faculty.

At a cost of $23 million, the remodeling of Building 26 is the most expensive remodeling job funded by the 2001 bond measure. The Child Development Center, Math Center projects, and renovations of Buildings 7, 11, and 26 all have adequate funding. They will be completed by 2010.

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