MiraCosta Bond: Where Do We Go From Here?
With the recent passage of Proposition MM, MiraCosta College has an opportunity to develop a unique learning environment that will shape our work for years to come. Even before this endorsement by our community, the Facilities Department was already gearing up for multiple construction projects throughout the summer months and into the fall and spring semesters.
Where we are now...
Both Tom Macias, our Director of Facilities, and Charlie Ng, our Vice President of Business Services, shared information for this article, and both will be providing updates to the campus and community throughout the long process of upgrading our infrastructure. Renovations have already been completed on 18 classrooms across campus (Buildings 2000, 3100, 4600, 4700 and 4800). Interior renovations of the Student Activities and Club Room were completed over the summer months, and a number of additional renovations (including air handlers, fire mains, water lines, faculty offices) were also accounted for as many of us were away from the College. Minor renovations on the San Elijo Campus (sound mitigation in SEC 108) and the Community Learning Center (replacement of air handling units) were also completed.
Next Steps...
But now the larger scope of work is to be accounted for in our transition to the Five Year Facilities Implementation Plan (recently shared at All College Day), and there is much to be done before any actual construction can begin. The College is in the process of selecting a Program Management Consulting Firm to oversee the construction and is establishing an Independent Citizens Bond Oversight Committee to ensure compliance with all associated regulations. The Facilities Master Plan must be validated, and cash flow needs (including our credit rating) must be established before any bonds can be sold. Phase 1 of our construction projects can only begin upon completion of supporting environmental impact studies. While the top of the list includes a new Theater/Dance Instructional space, there is much more in the works:
Oceanside Campus
Allied Health Building
Student Services Building
New Athletic Fields
New Parking Lot and expansion of existing lots (2B, 4C & 5A)
Renovated Administration Building
San Elijo Campus
New Student Services and Administration Building
Renovate Buildings 300, 400, 500, 600
Create a new Outdoor Classroom and Entry Plaza
Community Learning Center
New Student Resources Building
New Campus Quad
Monument Entry Signage
Demo of the Small Business Development Center
As the College begins to select designers, contractors and vendors, it is crucial that we all are involved in this process to guide the redesign of our teaching and learning environment. Consider how our pedagogy is shaped by the physical settings in which we now teach, advise and support our learners. Here is our opportunity to consider just how our physical setting might be rethought, modified and improved to better support these efforts. Will there be spaces that connect us and our students with the natural world? Spaces that support collaboration and project work? Spaces that contribute to a sense of community? Spaces for new faculty offices linked by and across disciplines (or even by “meta-majors”)?
As we begin this process in earnest, let’s ensure we have the necessary conversations about what a 21st Century teaching & learning environment ought to look like. Your Faculty Assembly will continue to examine the linkages between these new possibilities (and demands on our time) and our collective working conditions. Just imagine the possibilities!
Other Articles in the February 7, 2017 Newsletter :
