South Quad to finish in 2009

Students anticipating the completion of the South Quad Complex this Summer may be disappointed to hear that construction has been significantly delayed, possibly through January, said Bill Adams, senior construction manager for the Bond Management Team.
Everyone on the team has been close-lipped as far as the nature of the delay, the general opinion being that wooden buildings are complex and tedious, though one thing that has come up from several sources, including team project director Angel Alvarez, is the delay may lead to a lawsuit, but at this time, no one is disclosing any specific information.
Student Edward Mills said, "They've been working on that building for a while so it's disappointing to find out it won't be done until January,"
Meanwhile, the LAC's Learning and Resource Center or Library is on schedule Adams said, and the remaining projects at the LAC and PCC are on schedule, said Alvarez.
The other current projects under way as a part of the 2002 Measure E Bond program are a new Library at PCC, central plants that will provide heating and air-conditioning for both campuses and the Industrial Tech 1 building at PCC. Additionally, now that many of the original Measure E projects will be wrapping up in the Summer, the school has moved forward with plans to renovate the A Building at the LAC.
The South Quad, at over 100,000 square feet and just under $40 million, is by far the biggest and most expensive project underway, and when finished will provide modern classrooms for many of the school's departments, including creative arts, applied sciences, history, political science and public services.
The building south of Carson Street will be the new site for administrative offices, including the Board of Trustees, the president and vice president.
A new meeting hall for board meetings will be housed in the center of the complex.
"The whole point of the design is to bring people outside rather than in," Adams commented on the open walkway design. He also said the South Quad will provide much needed relief space for the school so that renovation of buildings north of Carson Street may begin.
The Library at LAC is moving along, and on top of adding an additional 13,000 square feet of space, the old structure will be seismically retrofitted to protect it from earthquakes.
John Thur, Soltek Pacific project manager for the LAC's library renovation, said the team should be "done and out of here right after thanksgiving."
The PCC Library is expected to be finished during the Summer said Alvarez, and will provide PCC students with modern facilities for studying, working and extracurricular learning.
The central plants being built at each campus will provide heating and air conditioning to most buildings on the campuses, and are expected to be complete this Summer.
Additionally, the LAC Police Headquarters is being moved from its location on Faculty Avenue next to the Art Building to an under-construction building adjacent to the LAC's central plant south of Lew Davis Drive near Veterans Stadium.
The industrial tech 1 building at the PCC has just recently begun construction and has experienced some delays of its own in getting Division of the State Architect approval on the building's plan.
Joe DiMaggio, the state approved inspector on the project, said the delay is no more than a few months and the building is expected to wrap up around March 2009.