Helen Ramirez / Roundup
While winter break offered students a chance to rest, plans to improve Pierce College continued, as a new proposal that will move the library’s location was introduced to the Pierce College Council (PCC) to be voted on Feb. 28.
The new master plan proposal indicates a two-story building with the cafeteria on the first floor and the library on the second, was introduced during the PCC meeting on Jan. 28.
The library would be moved to the current location of the cafeteria and an amphitheatre for the digital arts department would be placed at the library’s current location.
Projects that helped improve and create structures such as the Mall, Center for the Sciences and the Child Development Center have been worked on throughout winter break, confirmed David Tsao, project director of Swinerton Management and Consulting.
Swinerton is the company in charge of construction at Pierce.
Construction in the mall area is mostly complete, leaving only a few plants to be placed.
The South Gym is the next major project to be completed. It is planned to open at the end of this month, according to Tsao.
The electronic sign on the Winnetka and Victory Blvd should be complete by the end of the month as well, according to Tsao.
The Child Development Center is scheduled to be finished sometime in May and the Center for the Sciences building in July, confirmed Tsao.
John Coons, a representative from the Sasaki Group, which has helped with renovation planning of the campus, lead the introduction of the newest construction plans.
According to Coons, the library was discussed a lot until it was finally considered to be completely removed.
“We often kid about when you go on campus ‘do you ever see students in the stacks of the library? The answer typically is ‘no’,” said Coons.
Stacks are shelves of books one on top of the other. The library currently has two floors filled with just book stacks.
He added that people are around stacks places where food is made available, such as Borders and Barnes and Noble, people are around all the stacks.
“So that connection between food, between community, between learning is really, really powerful,” Coons added.
Associated Students Organization President Shani Simms commented during the Pierce College Council meeting about the new library and food court building.
“I like that idea,” Simms said. “I like updating the food,” she added sparking laughter from the other council members.
This new idea of combining the library and food court worries nursing major, Dianne Trinidad, 21.
“So that connection between food, between community, between learning is really really powerful,” Coons added.
ASO President Shani Simms commented during the Pierce College Council meeting about the new library and food court building.
“I like that idea,” Simms said. “I like updating the food,” she added sparking laughter from the other council members.
This new idea worries nursing major, Dianne Trinidad, 21.
She questioned if the noise from the food court would affect the students studying in the library.
Trinidad did not complete dislike the idea.
“It’ll make Pierce look nice, but the cafeteria and library being in the same building is a little weird,” Trinidad said.
“I mean, it’ll be noisy and students won’t be able to study,” Trinidad added.
Trinidad has attended Pierce College for three years and remembers the year before all the construction began.
“There were more trees and it felt like almost like home,” Trinidad said.
“But now it feels like an industrial place, in a good way,” Trinidad added.
She feels that although there is a lot of construction the results have made her feel proud to be a Pierce student.
“Now, it (Pierce College) feels like more of a small university,” Trinidad said.
For art major Aimee Malgapo, 19, the construction has been a long and annoying process.
“It’s distracting and can often make me late to class,” Malgapo said.
“But the work they’re getting done is making the campus look better and safer,” Malgapo added.
“So although I don’t like it,” Malgapo said. “I can live with it.”
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A student walks in front of the ongoing construction of the Center for the Science building located at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Feb. 8, 2010. (Gerard Walsh / Roundup)