CAMPUS
NEWS
I can’t wait ‘til we get that new center up because it will just be
so much more inviting and a place for students to gather
AMENITIES
The new
Johnson
Center will
feature a
grab-and-go
coffee shop
and construction of the Johnson Center
changed more than five times. The college
took advantage of these delays by utilizing
its classrooms and patio as late as the end
of last year.
In January 2017, issues with the weight of
a new ventilation system being installed
on the roof of the N Building forced music
faculty into classrooms in the cleared-out
Johnson Center for the spring semester.
That fall, construction in Phillips Hall
pushed the theater department into the
Johnson Center. On Sept. 11, 2017, a pipe
burst on the second-floor and seeped
through to first-floor classrooms, dropping
ceiling tiles and flooding a theatre class
that was in session.
“Obviously with the roof caving in on us
within weeks of the semester starting and
then the AC went out in the next room they
put us in, it didn’t feel safe altogether,” said
theatre professor Amberly Chamberlain
said.
In November 2017, the theater depart-
ment moved back into Phillips Hall, and the
Johnson Center was permanently closed.
The interior has since remained gutted and
empty.
As one of the few gathering places with
shade on campus, the Johnson Center
patio remained in use by coffee cart The
Drip and hosted various club activities until
the end of the Fall 2017 semester.
The loss of the Johnson Center’s cafeteria
also left the campus without warm meals.
Students and faculty have had to purchase
hot food from the various food trucks that
park near The Village, such as El Pepino
Loco and Dos Mexicanos. Pre-packaged
food remains available at the Don Express
and the Don Bookstore.
The Drip was relocated to a permanent
shade structure between the new amphi-
theater and Nealley Library. Once the new
building is complete, the district is planning
to turn The Village back into a parking lot.
“Upon construction completion, the
district will have to terminate the lease on
leased portables and remove them from
Parking Lot # 11 to increase parking. The
district-owned portables have yet to be
determined on use by the college, and it’s
currently under review,” Matsumoto said.
Demolition of the old Johnson Center is
expected to take two and a half months.
Students and faculty should prepare for
construction impacts as the new center are
built over the next few years. Expect loud
noises and vibrations, administrators said
at a November facilities meeting. Fencing
erected for demolition will remain in place
for the duration of the project.
“Unfortunately, construction noise during
the demolition will be ongoing for several
months as there is no ideal time to
undertake construction when the college
is open year round, seven days a week,”
Matsumoto said.
To help students navigate campus during
construction of the new Johnson Center,
officials plan to will distribute maps with
designated routes and provide updates via
the college’s website.
The new Johnson Center is slated to be
ready for students by spring 2021.
“I can’t wait,” Rose, SAC’s president, said.
“I’m really excited I can’t wait ‘til we get
that new center up because it will just
be so much more inviting and a place for
students to gather.”
—Additional Reporting by Nathan Jacobo
el Don Santa Ana College · December 2018
7