CORRECTION: Measure C was approved by voters in the June elections but has not yet been implemented, thus no funds from the bond have been used for campus construction projects. 

If you’ve been on the Fresno City College campus lately, you have probably noticed ditches, cordoned off areas and signs warning about the construction going on.  

The college is undergoing a makeover and is being renovated from the ground up, including replacement of pipes and roofs of some buildings.   

Christine D. Miktarian, associate vice chancellor of Business and Operations at the State Center Community College District, provided details about the ongoing work in a recent interview.

Miktarian said that the facelift includes a new seating area in the Language Arts [building] area and replacement of underground hot water pipes in the Math and Science building.

“We are expanding Parking Lot E [by] adding 65 spaces; we are replacing the roof at the theatre, Art-Home-Eco and Music Speech [buildings],” she said. “We replaced doors at the Old Administration building for sound improvements, [and] we have done parking lot pavement improvements.”

The renovations result from the California Clean Energy Jobs Act, also known as Proposition 39, which according to its website, “changed the corporate income tax code and allocates projected revenue to California’s general fund and the Clean Energy Job Creation Fund for five fiscal years, beginning with fiscal year 2013-14.”

The website also states that up to $550 million is available yearly for eligible projects improving energy efficiency and expanding clean energy generation in schools. Miktarian also said a few upgrades have been made in the sports department,“replaced the softball fence, relocated and improved the hammer throw.”

Fresno City College students have benefitted from the City of Fresno’s plans to improve the bus stops on Blackstone and the downtown area.  The bus stops on Blackstone and Weldon have being expanded and upgraded with brighter L.E.D lights as well as bigger seats and sidewalks.  

Patrick Quintero, labor worker on the bus stop project on Blackstone and Weldon, said that the project started about three months ago and will be done in about a month. “Bigger sidewalks and bright L.E.D lights should make it safer for the students who have evening classes.”

All together, there is a total of 10 projects going on, most of which were started at the end of May, according to Shannon Robertson, the Construction Service manager at the State Center Community College District.

Miktarian said that when all the construction is completed, “We will have improved seating; you’ll have better lighting in the classrooms, more energy efficient, some safety improvements, [and] some ADA improvements,”  Robertson added that FCC will also be saving water as a result of the restorations.

Miktarian explained that the construction is important to students because, “it provides safer facilities, better learning environments, and energy efficiency.”

Many students agree. Marissa Sandoval, 24, an English major, said she was happy about the improvements and hopes parking lots are less crowded after the construction of the 65 new parking stalls. “I just want to get to class on time without having to arrive an hour early,” Sandoval said.

According to Miktarian, the construction is being paid for by several different entities —  “a combination of district, campus, and some foundation funding, and prop 39 through the state of California.”

In addition to prop 39, Measure C which was approved by voters in the June elections,  will allocate $485 million for renovations and improvements at FCC and other SCCCD locations. Measure C will fund the following: a new Math and Science building, additional parking, improved technology. It will pay for modernizing and repairing existing facilities as well as a new West Fresno Educational facility.  

Construction on the FCC campus will continue through the semester, and with the Measure C funding, continue through the academic year.