With the turning of shovels at a groundbreaking
ceremony this morning, construction has officially begun at Grossmont College on
the second phase of a science, math and career technology complex, which will
also house a new Veterans Resource Center.
The much-anticipated $36.2 million project will
greatly expand classroom, lab and office spaces for programs including Physical
Geography and Oceanography, Human Geography and Social Sciences, Math and
Geology.
Governing Board President Brad Monroe thanked
East County taxpayers for supporting Proposition V, the 2012 bond measure that
is financing the new building and other construction and renovation projects at
Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges.
“This building will demonstrate to the
community that their investment in our college district through the passage of
Proposition V was well spent,” Monroe said. “This building will serve tens of
thousands of students in the years to come.”
Interim Grossmont College President Marsha
Gable said she is excited about the new space for veterans, which will be a
one-stop center providing counseling, tutoring and a social space for the
college’s student veteran population.
“With a prime location on Griffin Drive, the
new Veterans Resource Center will be an easily accessible space for Grossmont
College to help hundreds of former and active military, reservists and their
dependents reach their educational goals,” Gable said. The event was
livestreamed on the college’s YouTube channel.
Lynn Neault, chancellor of the
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, said the new center is a
milestone project updating a cluster of aging buildings badly in need of
renovation and reconstruction to accommodate new technology and other pressing
student needs. It is targeted for completion by spring 2023.