Saratoga News
News
College begins first construction in 30 years
By Shannon Burkey
West Valley College celebrated the beginning of the first construction it has seen in more than 30 years on Dec. 14.
West Valley College President Phil Hartley, Chancellor Stan Arterberry and board members Bob Owens and Don Cordero were the first to break ground on a construction project that is expected to span several years.
"This is going to be an exciting dig for us because at the end of the tunnel there will be some new buildings," Arterberry said. "We are really starting a new phase for West Valley College."
Once complete, the project will leave the college with a new science wing, a new information technology building and a cutting-edge educational technology center named Fox Center. A new swimming pool is also in the plans, replacing the pool that was the first permanent structure on campus 37 years ago. The college also plans on adding a four-lane entrance into the campus and remodeling and refurbishing several existing buildings.
"We are going to enjoy the next five to seven years," Hartley said. "We are going to enjoy the dirt, we are going to enjoy the noise and we are going to enjoy the progress."
The bulk of the money for the project comes from Measure H, which voters passed in November 2004. Through Measure H, the college district was able to sell general issue bonds and raise $235 million to upgrade facilities and infrastructure at West Valley College in Saratoga and Mission College in Santa Clara. The college district also received some state funding, and the money from the two sources will be enough to take construction into 2010, according to Hartley.
Two years after the passage of Measure H, college officials are looking forward to finally beginning work on the project.
"This is an exciting time because it is the start of the implementation of Measure H in the ground," Arterberry said.
The first groundbreaking is for a trench that will carry the college's telecommunications and information technology lines from a bunker at the side of the student health center out to the parking lot, where temporary and information technology center classrooms will be placed during the construction.
The next phase of the project will be to demolish the existing pool and IT building at the beginning of June and begin work on their replacements. The groundbreaking for the new science wing and Fox Center will take place in December 2007, according to Hartley.
Although construction will be taking place over several years, Hartley said he anticipates very little disruption to the learning process on campus.
"We hope to have a minimal effect on classes. We planned the project in stages so that there will always be good access to the campus and an ease of getting around," he said. "We feel it will be a minimum inconvenience to students."
Since West Valley College opened its doors 37 years ago, no construction has taken place on the campus, and Hartley said a new look is long overdue.
"This is the first construction project on campus in over 30 years, and the campus is beginning to show its age," he said. "Our goal is to make the campus as good as it has been in the past and as good as it can be in the future."
