The key word is “efficiency,” or the lack thereof.
That is the reason why a lot of buildings and areas on the main campus of Bakersfield College are being targeted for renovations, specifically modernizing renovations, said Randy Patterson, interim director of construction for the Kern Community College District. Patterson works closely with Chris Addington, interim executive director of facility planning for KCCD.
Renovations for BC’s baseball and softball fields are already in planning, Patterson said. Construction will begin in 2008 and will be a year and a half project, he said. Local Bakersfield architectural firm Ordiz-Melby will handle this project.
According to Patterson, each of BC’s construction projects will take a year and a half to complete. The projects are designated as either a Scheduled Maintenance (SM) project or a Capital Outlay project. SM projects, Patterson says, address issues with roofs, utilities, mechanical difficulties and parking lot refurbishing with a price range of $1,000 to $400,000. Capital Overlay projects include modernizations of building and construction of new buildings. Capital Overlay projects usually cost over $400,000. BC’s baseball and softball fields are subject to modernization, which places the fields under the Capital Overlay designation.
Renovations for BC’s Speech and Music building will commence in 2009 and is already in planning. Construction on SAM will conclude in 2011. According to Robert Day, director of custodial, grounds and auxillary services, SAM’s Outdoor Theater will get new seat and an overhead shade structure. SAM’s Indoor Theater will get new seating and light fixtures. The local architectural firm BFGC will handle this particular project. BFGC has worked with not only KCCD, but also with the Kern High School District and Bakersfield City School District along with other school districts throughout the state.
“SAM is not very efficient,” Patterson said. “We need to modernize the building to accommodate enrollment projections.
“Assignable square footing” is also determined in the planning process, Patterson said. Considerations for SAM as well as the other targeted BC buildings will appear in a Final Project Proposal draft or FPP and will be submitted to the state chancellor’s office for a project rating. The FPP draft must be well drawn to qualify the expenses, Patterson said. Composers of the FPP must bear in mind that there are seventy-two community colleges in the state, and they all have to compete for state funds.
“The better the FPP, the better our chances,” Patterson said.
BC’s Fine Arts has also been targeted for improvement and is under the 2008 bond cycle, according to Patterson. Construction on Fine Arts will begin 2010 and will be done by May 2012. BC’s Fine Arts falls under both SM and Capital Overlay categories since the building will be modernized and also receive a new roof and HVAC. The Fine Arts construction will start in 2010 and conclude May 2012. BC’s Language Arts building will be a subject in the 2010 bond cycle and will be subject to SM construction by the Ordiz-Melby architecture firm.
Also subject to Capital Overlay as well as modernization is the Student Services building as well as Maintenance and Operations and the baseball and softball fields. BC’s Levan Center is subject to Capital Overlay. The Student Services building project will fall under the 2012 bond cycle with construction beginning 2013. Construction will conclude May 2015. The Maintenance and Operations project will fall under the 2008 bond cycle, according to Patterson. Patterson said construction will be done August 2012.
According to Day, further specifics or what Day calls “specs” will be discussed with faculty and other building “in-users” who will flesh out their various needs and will appear on the final blueprints. Meetings between “in-users” and assigned architects will frequently occur.
Day estimates the costs for all of the construction work could fall between 3 to 20 million dollars, which might be paid in increments. Day says the funds could be derived from Measure “G” funds or from local and state funds. Day also says the funds might be a combination of all three sources.