‘More than a facelift’

Sienna Jackson / Roundup

Reconstruction of the second half of the Pierce Mall is expected to be complete by late October or early November, according to Swinerton Management and Consulting, which oversees the construction.

This is welcome news to students, who have been using the pedestrian detours to navigate around the construction site—which stretches from Lot 7 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.

But the construction itself “Sounds good, it makes the college look nice,” according to Ortiz.  

Many students on campus share 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 seated on the steps that lead to the Performing Arts building.

Any extra walking that the detours bring doesn’t perturb John Sung, a 22-year-old accounting major. “It’s fine—I’ve been through worse,” he said.

Sahara Ahal also doesn’t mind the walkways. “I don’t have a problem with it,” said Ahal, a 19-year-old fine arts major in her last year at Pierce.

“[The construction] doesn’t normally stay in one spot, and it makes the campus prettier. Being at a nice school is relaxing,” she said.

“They need more benches in the shade—there’s no umbrellas or anything,” she said of the mall.

A covered seating area is also going to be a part of the new Mall, according to representatives at Swinerton. 

Other new additions to the Mall include a fountain, a 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 Director of College Facilities Paul Nieman.

“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 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 to pay a general contractor, United Contractors Company Inc., for the second part of the construction on the Mall, according to Swinerton representatives.

Next on the slate of renovations after the Mall is complete will be Project North of Mall—projected to begin September 24 of this year.

That construction is estimated to cost $28-29 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,” he said. 

Check out www.build-laccd.org for more information about construction at Pierce and other LACCD schools you may be attending.