The long-awaited new construction at the Sierra College Nevada County campus is underway, with a ceremony planned for Tuesday, May 13, according to President Leo Chavez.

A classroom building, a building for two-dimensional arts and another facility for three-dimensional arts will be the first ones to be constructed, Chavez said.

"We are already doing site work up there, removing trees and preparing the ground," he said. "As soon as the site preparation is done (in May), within 60 days, we'll see the foundation of the new buildings."

The general classroom building will be about 16,000 square feet and include four computer labs, two dry science labs and six general classrooms, said Dean Neal Allbee of the Nevada County campus. The 5,000-square-foot two-dimensional arts building will have three classrooms for photography, drawing and applied arts and design, while the 3,300-square-foot three-dimensional arts building will have two classrooms for ceramics and sculpture, Allbee said.

The first round of construction will cost about $ 24 million, Allbee said.

The college subsequently plans to build a gymnasium, a health center and a multipurpose center for lectures, presentations and cultural events in the second round of construction expected to start in spring 2009, Allbee said.

The expansion of the Nevada County campus has caused controversy among local residents who want a performing arts center, as well as a gymnasium on the Grass Valley campus. But the college faces a shortage of about $5 million caused by the rise in construction prices.

The total costs for the construction and renovation at the Sierra College Nevada County campus was estimated at $44.7 million, Allbee said. The money was raised by a 2004 bond measure, called Measure G.

The board is now considering ways to reduce the size of the gymnasium and the health center, Chavez said. A scaling down of facilities could help save money to build the gymnasium, the wellness center as well as the multipurpose center, Chavez added.

To contact Soumitro Sen, e-mail ssen@theunion.com or call 477-4229.



Campus

in the works

New construction

n Classroom building

n Two-dimensional arts

building

n Three-dimensional arts

building



Subsequent

construction

n Gymnasium

n Health center

n Multipurpose center



Funds

n Money raised: $44.7M

n Shortfall: $5M