Cuyamaca College Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony

Cuyamaca College held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, February 4 for its three-story, 36,374-square-foot student services building. Gafcon, Inc., the San Diego-based international program, project and construction management firm managing construction for the new building on behalf of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, estimates completion by the middle of next year.

The new building modernizes student services operations, and its new location brings it next to other student services offered on campus. The building will include a welcome center as well as financial aid, admissions, cashier, counseling, special programs and CalWorks offices.

The project also includes extensive site work, a sophisticated subterranean storm water system, accessible pathways and collaborative outdoor gathering spaces.

“Our team worked extensively with the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District’s scheduling department to develop an effective, efficient schedule that reflected the budget constraints that the project was under,” said Gafcon Project Manager Mark Lawrance.

Sustainability was also a priority. The new student services building will rely on natural ventilation and passive cooling, electric water heating, energy-efficient lighting, drought-tolerant landscaping and a variety of other green building strategies.

Gafcon’s team for the student services building includes Program Manager Jim Bray, Campus Project Manager Brian Browning, Project Manager Mark Lawrance, Assistant Project Manager Gaby Arana, Project Engineer Jami McArdle, CBA Project Manager Brent Bishop, FF&E Project Manager Christine Cole and Communications and Contractor Outreach Specialist Stephen Johnson.

Architecture firm HMC designed the building and Soltek Pacific Construction is the general contractor. Other firms working on the project include civil engineer Snipes Dye, mechanical engineer MA Engineers and fire alarm firm Johnson Controls.

Gafcon, Inc. has been the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District’s chosen program manager since 2003, providing a wide range of services to the bond program for more than 15 years, over the course of consecutive bonds: Proposition R bond program ($207 million) and Proposition V bond program ($398 million). Both programs have focused on transforming Grossmont College and Cuyamaca College into state-of-the-art campuses for higher learning.