FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Start of Construction of First New Buildings at Pierce College Under Bond Construction Program is Celebrated

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Center for the Sciences and Student Services Center marks the commencement of construction activity and “Meeting the Needs of Students and the Community”

Oct. 18, 2007 (WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.) - Years of planning and hope for the future turned into ceremonial turning of dirt as Pierce College and Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) officials, joined by community representatives, celebrated a major milestone for the college's construction program. The ground breaking celebrated the college's new Center for the Sciences and the Student Services Center, which together are budgeted at $64 million and promise to reshape the college's footprint. The two projects are part of the college's $272.5 million construction program funded through the District-wide $2.2 billion Proposition A/AA Bond Construction Program.

"These two projects truly represent the future of our campus and the community we serve," said Robert Garber, the president of Pierce College. "The new Center for the Sciences answers the need for more scientific training, while the Student Services Center will provide our 20,000 registered students with a meeting place to study, mingle and get one-stop shopping for needed services."

"The Center for the Sciences will be an incredible focus of learning, and one that directly meets the challenges of providing well-trained workers for the needs of L.A.’s new economy," said Dr. James Rikel, Chair of the Life Science Department, Pierce College. "How exciting see the beginning of the real results of six years of planning and effort."

The new $46 million Center for the Sciences will be a two-story 100,000 sq. ft. courtyard building, and will house several departments, including Life Sciences, Nursing, Chemistry and Physics. It will also include a second one-story veterinary tech facility. The new building will also be built to the US Green Building Council's LEED-Silver rating (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

The new $18 million Student Services Center will be a three-story, 49,775 sq. ft. u-shaped mission-styled building, consistent with the college's overall architecture. It will house the college's career/transfer center, plus financial aid, counseling, and health services, along with many other services.

The Los Angeles Community College District is the largest community college system in the country, educating more than 188,000 students each year. The LACCD has embarked on a $2.2 billion construction and modernization program at its nine college campuses. As funded by the Proposition A/AA Bond construction program, the LACCD is also currently undertaking the largest public sector sustainable building effort in the United States. For more information, visit www.LACCDBuildsGreen.org.

High resolution photo available upon request.

Above: Pierce College officials and members of the Center for the Sciences' construction and architecture crew pose for cameras during the projcet's official ground breaking ceremony.

Above: Pierce College officials join members of the Student Services Center's construction and architecture crew as they officially break ground on the new project.

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