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By Angelica Siordia
By Angelica Siordia
For the next 15 to 20 years Riverside City College will undergo extensive renovations.
The majority of the campus, except for the recent upgrades, will either be newly constructed or renovated.
Plans for the following years will have the college under zone construction for certain locations and will be blocked off during construction of the buildings.
The changes to RCC will be completed in different stages, based on the growth of enrollment, meeting student needs and the priorities set by the planning committee
Recently the $350 million bond Measure C bond, which was approved in 2004, has paid for the parking structure, renovations of the Martin Luther King building and modernization of the A.G. Paul Quadrangle.
The bond, approved by the voters of Riverside, has spent $155 million to complete the recent changes. $195 million of what is left from the Measure C bond will be used according to the needs of RCC.
“Increments of the bond will be dispersed based on the projects or plans we have going,” said Aaron Brown, interim vice chancellor of administration and finance.
The changes that will be seen are new nursing and science buildings that will be constructed in the paid parking structure of the Digital Library removing the paid parking structure.
The cosmetology building along Olivewood Avenue will be replaced with maintenance and operations.
The cosmetology program will have a new constructed building on the corner of Ramona Drive and Saunders Street, where student parking lot E is located.
Another parking structure along Ramona Drive, with 1,600 stalls, will be constructed in place of student parking lot E; applied technology and auto technology will be moved to the buildings where maintenance and operations are currently located on Saunders Street.
All student services such as financial aid and admissions will be moved to the buildings next to administration, located near student parking lot B and infrastructure will be upgraded through out campus.
The expansion of RCC renovations will also move the culinary academy, located at Spruce Street in Riverside, on campus.
The changes to RCC will take time with the renovations estimated to be completed in the year 2024.
“The changes will make the campus more accessible for students and visitors to find their way around,” said Wendy Cardenas, a student.
Some of the projects as the nursing and science buildings are scheduled to begin construction in 2009 with expected completion in 2011. If the nursing and science buildings are completed by schedule, they will be ready to open in the spring of 2012.
Currently, the overall RCC enrollment has approximately 18,000 students and by the year 2024 enrollment is expected to grow to about 27,000 students.
The projects and schedules to the renovations of RCC are tentative to change. The plans to proceed will be based on the accommodation of the student’s needs and the decision of the planning committee.
Throughout the years, students will see construction site locations closed off and temporary locations will be made to accommodate the changing plans. The changes to RCC will bring upgrades such as, modernization of classes, infrastructure, accessibility to finding locations and to accommodate the enrollment for more students.
“The college will be nicer and attractive,” said Edwin Andrade, a student. “It will look like a university.”
