Groundbreaking Brings Hope of a Better Future at Las Positas College

More classrooms. New laboratory areas. A revamped way of providing student services.

That's what celebrated Friday during a groundbreaking ceremony for two new buildings coming to campus.

The construction is part of projects funded under the $498 million Measure B facilities bond, approved by Alameda County voters in 2004. The bond is aimed at renovating Las Positas College and Chabot College in Hayward.

The new buildings, a science building and student services and administration building, will bring together many offices on campus and provide additional classroom space, officials said.

The 67,000 square-foot building that will house student services and administration offices is scheduled to be completed by March 2013.

It will “centralize” many services that are already offered on campus, such as the financial aid office, the career center and the cafeteria, officials said.

Interim President at the ceremony said the new facilities gives the campus something to look forward to despite budget shortfalls and a lack of resources from the state.

“We stand to lose as many as 2,700 full-time-equivalent students next year between our two colleges,” he said. “We come together to celebrate the construction of two major facilities…even in such dark days we must look to a brighter future.”

Across campus, the 20,000 square-foot, two-story science building is expected to be completed by September 2012. It will contain four biology lab areas and an engineering graphics lab area on the first floor, along with several classrooms on the second floor.

As a part of the construction, renovations will also be made to the campus’ current science building to add three new lab areas.

Last fall, construction of the Child Development Center and the Barbara Mertes College Center For the Arts were also completed as part of the Measure B project.