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By Jennifer Cardona-Leon
Riverside City Community College District Board of Trustees announced a construction update on a districtwide solar and electric charging stations at its March 5 meeting.
The project consists of plans to install solar panels to parking lot C next to the Charles A. Kane building, parking lot E by the auto building, and the Riverside City College Coil School for the Arts parking lot.
The Board of Trustees approved the TotalEnergies contract in December 2022 to design and permit the 25-year parking lot renovations. The construction project includes a solar photovoltaic system, battery energy storage system and electrical vehicle charging stations.
RCC plans on renovating parking lot C from June 8 to Aug. 18 before the fall semester starts. Construction will take place at parking lot E from June 10 to Oct. 13. However, it will remain partially open during the process.
RCCD Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities Planning & Development, Hussain Agah, worked alongside engineers, architects, contractors and college faculty to minimize the impact the construction will have on the campus community. He anticipates notable improvements once they are complete.
“Currently Riverside City College has 13 electric vehicle charging stations,” Agah said. “This project will add an additional 60 EV charging stations in parking lot C.”
RCC’s Coil School for the Arts parking lot construction will take place from Aug. 5 to Oct. 10. Rooftop solar photovoltaic canopy will be added to protect students and faculty from extreme heat and rain. The Riverside Fox Theatre will be used as an alternative parking area with 100 stalls and Mission Square Garage with 50 stalls.
Agah said the money saved in electricity costs will be going back to providing more resources within classrooms and improving the RCC campus as a whole in efforts to promote student success.
RCC Vice President Business Services Kristine Di Memmo shared that the college plans to provide more adequate spaces for students with mobility issues.
She highlighted the importance of students being able to access the Kane building to reach the admissions, records and financial services office. She added that more parking spots will be available, especially for students with mobility issues.
RCC will also be promoting the impacts of these renovations on the community and the environment by providing updates and posts on social media. The goal is to be as transparent as possible about the operation.
“We will be doing a lot with social media,” Di Memmo said. “We will be sending emails and text messages to our students (and) updating our signage to make sure we are very clear about what are the options.”
