CAMPUS
NEWS
Under Construction
Plans are underway to
tear down the aging
campus building
JOHNSON CENTER
Modern Makeover
Down with the old and up with the new
UPDATE: The new Johnson Center will provide offi ces for
Financial Aid, Student Life, DSPS, EOPS and more. It is
expected to be complete in 2021.
A
fter nearly three years of discussions
and delays, the Johnson Student
Center is being torn down over winter
break. However, a defi cit of more than $15
million remains to build its replacement,
which is expected to open in 2021, offi cials
said.
Interior demolition began last week on the
aging building that once held the majority
of student services and served as a center
for campus life. Exterior demolition will start
Dec. 17.
The Don Bookstore, The Spot, a cafeteria
and about a dozen offi ces were moved out
of the Johnson Center and into portable
6
el Don Santa Ana College · December 2018
structures in spring 2016, with demolition
planned for that summer. However, a dem-
olition contract was not approved by the
board until last month.
“When you have construction like this,
delays happen often,” Santa Ana College
President Linda Rose said. “It’s nothing new
in community colleges because you have
things go on with the schedule we don’t
even know about. The delays are actually
pretty normal.”
Recent infl ation in the construction market
is driving up project costs, which increased
to $15.26 million during the delays, accord-
ing to Assistant Vice Chancellor of Facility
STORY
NIKI NELSEN
PHO TOS
HPI ARCHETICURE
Planning and Construction and Support
Services Carrie Matsumoto. To make up the
gap, the district plans to use savings from
other campus construction projects, such
as the Central Plant and the new Science
Center. Board members also said the school
could use funds set aside for a proposed
parking lot on Bristol and 17th streets, which
is currently on hold.
Demolition and construction of the new
center are expected to cost $47.2 million,
while the entire project budget is $60 mil-
lion. The project is part of the campus over-
haul funded by Measure Q bonds, which
allocated $44.6 million for the project.
District offi cials said the costs for the new
building could increase even more. Because
the original building was constructed in
1968, there are potential problems that
won’t be known until crews begin the heavy
work of breaking old slab, adding new foun-
dation and re-adding new slab to support
the new 63,642-square-foot center.
“We know the Johnson Center is going to
cost more [than the current budget], but we
have money from another project that we
didn’t use to go back into it, so that too is in
the prospect,” RSCCD Trustee and Chair of
the Board Facilities and Board Policy Com-
mittee Larry Labrado said.
When completed, the new Johnson Cen-
ter will house a conference center, a coff ee
shop, and offi ces that are located in The Vil-
lage, including Financial Aid, the Health and
Wellness Center and the Offi ce of Student
Life. This will also include hardscape, land-
scape, and shade shelter as well as a kiosk
that will serve Middle College High School
students during lunchtime.
Though it was vacated two and a half
years ago, dates and plans for demolition