@JULIACOTY
Approved in Dec. 2016, construction of the two-story building is impossible to miss.
The blue tarps that interrupt the picturesque quad.
The shrilling scream of the power drill drowning out lectures and thoughts.
Not to mention the soreness from having to walk around the construction, causing a delay in the normal route.
As of Jan. 24, 2018, the new academic building 1000 is 76 percent complete and this means one more semester of dealing with inconveniences before students can take advantage of a newly furbished facility. The academic building will feature 12 classrooms, 6 computer labs, a large lecture hall and an Anthropology lab.
“The total classroom space in the building will accommodate nearly 1,000 students (982 to be exact). Since the Las Positas campus has been very tight on classroom space for the past couple of years, we are very excited that we will be able to offer more classes once the new building is open in the fall,” said Diane Brady, Vice President of Administrative Services.
The new academic building was made possible in March 2004, where the people of Alameda County and Contra Costa County voted yes for the Measure B Bond Program. This bond entails $498 million dollars for the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District to be used for construction improvements. Such improvements include repairing and renovating roofs, plumbing, old classrooms, libraries and computer labs.
The Measure B Bond Program was favored for many reasons such as accommodating the overcrowded campus, fixing safety repairs and modernizing classrooms so that students can excel in their studies.
“I anticipate less parking spaces but I am excited to see the new building being finished,” said LPC marketing major Juan Toro
With more classes being available for students, the concern for parking was not ignored. Solutions that are being considered by faculty including redesigning the parking lot to accommodate more parking spaces for when the construction is complete. Brady also encourages students to take advantage of the bus available to them and carpooling.
“One of our next construction projects will be improving traffic circulation, including making it easier for people to be dropped off and picked up safely, and parking will be part of that project,” said Brady.
The progress on the new building could be beneficial for new students and returning students, as it will help them reach their educational goals faster by providing more resources and classes.
“I’m really hoping that the new building has spaces for the learning community such as Puente, Umoja and HSI,” said Luis Sanchez, LPC student majoring in international relations.
