Sienna Jackson/ Roundup
Reconstruction of the second half of the Pierce College Mall is expected to be complete by late October or early November, according to officials supervising the construction.
This is welcome news to the student populace, who have been using the pedestrian detours to navigate around the construction site, which stretches from Parking Lot 1 to the Business Education Building.
“It’s kind of disturbing, it makes us get to class late,” said Daniel Ortiz, a 19-year-old criminal justice major said of the detours. However, Ortiz has a different opinion on the project in the long run.
“[It] sounds good, it makes the college look nice” said Ortiz.
Many students on campus also shared mixed sentiments about the construction.
“It’s annoying, the first day I came here was orientation and this whole area was blocked,” said Shannon Seufert, an 18-year-old freshman on the steps leading up to the Art Building.
However, Sahara Ahal did not share the same concerns. “I don’t have a problem with it,” said Ahal, a 19-year-old Fine Arts major attending her last year at Pierce.
“It [construction] doesn’t normally stay in one spot—and it makes the campus prettier, being at a nice school is relaxing,” she said.
Her only complaint was lack of cool seating on the Mall.
“They need more benches in the shade, there’s no umbrellas or anything,” said Ahal.
Fortunately for Ahal and other students, a covered seating area is also going to be a part of the new Mall, according to representatives of Swinerton Management and Consulting, who oversee the current construction.
Other new additions to the Mall include a fountain, a relatively life-sized Brahma Bull statue, as well as a large working sundial, which will have to be meticulously designed and positioned if its going to tell the time.
“Overall, what is happening is a complete regeneration of this campus,” said Paul Nieman, Director of College Facilities at Pierce.
“I guess what you could say is the campus is going through a renaissance—the campus is looking much more like a four-year university than a two-year college,” he said.
All funding for the campus’ new four-year-look comes from state bond money that Los Angeles voters approved for use on campus infrastructure and facilities.
These bond funds, which total $5.725 billion, according to an LACCD report,, can only be used for building on community college campuses.
Payment of nearly $2 million in bond money has already been approved so far to pay a general contractor, United Contractors Company Inc., for the second part of the construction on the Mall, according to representatives at Swinerton.
Next on the slate of renovations after the Mall is complete will be Project North of Mall—projected to begin September 24.
That construction is estimated to cost between $28 million and $29 million, and will renovate all the buildings surrounding the Botanical Garden as well as the Campus Center building.
The Botanical Garden itself will remain the same.
“The students will have a better environment. It’s a little bit of pain to get there, but it’s going to be a much, much nicer environment,” said Nieman.
According to Nieman, this update of the campus will improve the school experiences of both students and faculty, which will raise everyone’s morale and performance.
“It’s more than a face-lift,” concluded Nieman.
For more information about construction at Pierce College and other LACCD campuses go to www.build-laccd.org
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