Science Building to Receive Facelift

Beginning this June, the 800 building will be revamped on the Marysville campus.

According to Kevin Trutna, Associate Dean for Math, Engineering, Science and Health Occupations, some of the selling points that expedited the funding of the 800 building renovation were the aging factors of the building as well as safety issues.

Currently, hanging internet cables, aging heaters and air conditioner units and old equipment riddle the 800 building on the Marysville campus, making it not only an eyesore but also a distraction to students.

According to Rod Perry Director of Maintenance and Operations, $8.3 million has been allotted for the completion of the 800 building. The project will consist of configuration of space, new furnishings, updated chemistry and biology labs that will also be used for multiple purposes, new interior services, mechanical systems, a central heating and air conditioning unit as well as electrical and plumbing upgrades. Restrooms in the building will also be updated to include handicap accessibility. More than $1 million of this money will go towards the purchase of moveable equipment such as computers, tables and chairs for the classrooms. Pods of offices will also be established so faculty will be able to communicate and work together, similar to the effect of the Japanese Garden area on campus.

The 800 building was also designed to include space for future updates such as for the use of fiber optics. Currently, emergency showers are located in the science classrooms and labs, but no drains are available. This could result in the flooding of classrooms in an emergency.

“We’re up to code for safety,” Trutna said. “But if we ever have to use it, we’re in trouble.”

An asbestos problem will also be abated. The asbestos is evident, but sealed off to students to protect their health and well being.

Science laboratories will have adjoining prep rooms to avoid the wheeling of chemicals, liquids, and hazardous equipment around the campus.

“We’re just waiting for the day when someone has acid and they’re wheeling the cart and spill the acid,” says Trutna.

The new classrooms will also be used to accommodate all types of class settings, with clear views of the blackboard and ample workspace for class projects.

The courtyard located in the midst of the 800 building will also be included in the renovations. The heating and air conditioning unit will be removed and a central unit placed behind the building offering both a noise-free classroom experience for students and more room in the courtyard also for their benefit. With the absence of the heater and air conditioning unit, the courtyard will lend itself to student use, containing newly installed benches and tables.

The Marysville campus project will be completed in phases, with different parts of the building constructed at different times. According to Perry, the project is a phase process, but the actual work is continuous. Construction of phase one will commence in June and end in August of this year. The second phase of construction will take place during the fall 2005 semester with subsequent phases thereafter for the next twelve months. The project is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2006.

Because construction will take place in stages, the majority of the building will still be made available for students. At least one lecture hall will be kept open, as well as the use of chemistry, biology and computer labs.

According to Perry, the most cost effective way to complete the building would be to take everybody out of the building and do it all at one time but that would not be possible due to the lack of space on campus. Portable classrooms were requested in the initial proposal of the building to the state of California; however, the request was denied, forcing the District to accommodate students in other ways.

Although Yuba College will not eliminate classes in the building in the fall, time frames will have to be re-arranged and classes relocated to adapt to the available facilities. High demand, independent classes such as Human Anatomy will be held at the new River Valley High School in Yuba City, which is still under completion. The time frame for these classes will allow a half hour in between so that students will have time to travel back to the Marysville campus in time for subsequent classes. Other classes that will be considered for relocation include those that are stand-alone classes and don’t depend on other resources for its completion. Additional space that is also being considered for temporary classrooms include the former adaptive physical education building, ESL computer lab as well as other, unoccupied classrooms.

According to Rod Perry, “Classroom space is a higher priority rather than offices or administration buildings.”

In noting the construction process, Trutna says, “We know there is going to be an inconvenience with power outages or heating and air conditioning issues as they’re doing their facelift, but looking at the positive, we’re excited about the changes. We’ll have complete access to classes, technology in all the classrooms. In every classroom, we’ll have a projection unit computer and an overall energy efficient, modern building. So it’ll be inconvenient, but after that, we’re excited about what we’re going to be getting.”

In addition to the 800 building, drawings for the renovation of the 1000 building on the Marysville campus have also been funded by the state although the actual renovation has not. If the state approves of the drawings, construction will not take place for the next couple of years.