Prop N passed in the November election with 63% of the voters supporting the community college construction bond measure. Prop S passed in 2002. Together, these two bonds will fund the campus build out plan.

And now, some long-awaited campus projects will be kicking in high gear, starting this summer.

First and foremost will be the much-needed campus parking structure, which will add over 1000 parking spaces to the campus. The structure will be located at the end of Mesa College Drive, where the roadway makes a 90 degree turn north into campus.

The San Diego City Council gave its approval of the 5-story parking structure in January of this year. Construction on the temporary construction entrance is scheduled to begin this July. The structure is set to begin construction in November or December.

Another highlight of the plans is the reconfiguration of the intersection at Mesa College Drive and Mesa College Circle. Currently, this is a busy pedestrian crossing with 3-way stop sign, and vehicles are routinely backed up during peak commuting hours. Under the new plans, this intersection will have a traffic light.

In order to provide transit access closer in to campus, a new Rosa Parks Memorial bus stop is to be located adjacent the parking structure.

Another major aspect of the designs will the demolition of the K, I and J-buildings which will make way for some form of a central campus gathering location. It has not been decided if this will be an amphitheater or something else.

For the major project funded by Prop N, the F-100 and F-200 buildings will demolished and a new Math and Science Building constructed.

According to Ron Perez, Vice President of Administrative Services, when he and the district were deciding what projects should take priority, they had to answer some important questions. “What is the purpose of the College? What do students need the most? It’s basically the sciences.”

Therefore, the Math and Science Building is a top priority of Prop N and the project has been fast-tracked.

Although Prop S and Prop N both provide funding for specific renovation and new construction projects, the significance of Prop N is that campus improvements can be completed faster than originally planned. According to Perez, “We plan on being built out by 2013, so we can cut 5 years off (the schedule).”

And, he points out, that acceleration of the schedule will save the district a lot of money. The assumption is that inflation rises at 7% per year, so finishing construction 5 years early adds up to a large cost savings.

The track and football field were not originally slated for renovation on either proposition, but these facilities will be needed as the “staging area”, that is, the area for the contractor to store materials and equipment.

After construction, the old facility will be replaced with an all weather track and field. This will mean that the Mesa football teams will not have any home games while the area is in under construction, scheduled for November 2007 to December 2008. The field is scheduled to reopen for the fall season in 2009.

Also as part of the athletic facilities improvements, the women’s soccer field will receive a makeover to include a regulation surface, which it currently lacks.

In April, the architecture firm doing the designs, Architects Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, will hold a forum on campus to discuss the project.

Some smaller projects are recently completed or nearing completion, such as the new chemisty labs in the I-100 building, the daycare playground and the art gallery in D-100.

As construction kicks into high gear, it seems that the changes will take some getting-used-to.

“It’s fantastic, but it’s a lot of work learning how the new stuff works,” says chemistry professor Joe Toto. “I think it’s going to be great, but with all new technology, there’s growing pains.”

One aspect of campus improvements is the compromises that have to be made. One such case is the playground at the Child Development Center which had to be made smaller to accommodate the new Mesa College Drive entrance.

When asked about the playground, Danielle Southall, a second year student in Early Childhood Development at Mesa and student teacher, quickly notes,” It’s smaller.” But, Southall adds, ” I like it. It’s creative. It’s different than what we are used to.”