Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

New Construction Set to Begin Across PCC District

Photos and story by James Hill

by Susan Hereford Building plans are shaping up across the Portland Community College district this spring and summer thanks to approval of a $144 million bond measure in November of 2000. When the dust finally settles – which will be a few years out – the college will have much to show for its efforts and the community’s support. It is the largest facility construction since the college was first built in the mid-1960s and will complete the work begun in 1992, following passage of an earlier $61 million bond measure. At Cascade, the college hopes to extend the campus footprint westward to meet light rail and freeway travelers. At Sylvania, students will have a new distance learning and general classroom building and a renovated dining center. Rock Creek gains a new library and science labs. In addition, the college will undertake much needed renovations and upgrading of training facilities across the district – from diesel to radiography, welding to fire science. "The work we do in the next six months is extremely critical,"said Randy McEwen, vice president of Administrative Services. "I think we are assembling an outstanding team, both inside the college and outside, with architects, construction and real estate firms."Here is a partial look at the activity:Cascade Campus:Approximately $57 million is planned for Cascade Campus, possibly the most exciting of the projects across the district. The college may break ground in late 2001. Once the bulldozers, hammering and wiring stop, some six years from now, the hope is for a campus that reaches west with five new buildings and new resources for students and the community. The vision is for a vibrant urban campus stretching one to three blocks west with both new buildings and open park-like spaces. The Killingsworth Street commercial strip would mostly remain intact and the college would build behind the commercial strip on the north side of the avenue."We’re really trying to implement the vision that has been articulated by Mildred Ollee (Cascade Campus executive dean),"said John Blumthal, the architect managing the project for Yost, Grube Hall. The firm was selected last year for the Cascade projects. "We’re working through a city review process that involves community input. The vision is for the development of a campus that has a clear visual identity in the neighborhood – that makes it an obvious focus and presence for the community and students."The new buildings, said Blumthal, will be up to three stories tall and organized around outdoor spaces, with brick the likely material for the construction. "It (Cascade Campus) is really the center of upper-level education for the community,"added Blumthal. College officials and the architects began meeting with the city of Portland in late 2000 to establish design standards for building materials, the character of the buildings, the placement, and landscaping. This spring, the campus held three community meetings to get feedback on Cascade. At the April 11 meeting, Ollee and the architects invited the community to comment on the proposed impact mitigation plan to be submitted to the City. In May, CPC submitted the plan to the City. Review will take up most of the summer months, followed by hearings to finalize the plan. The transformation at Cascade will complement Tri-Met’s and the City’s long-term vision for this area of north Portland. Tri-Met is currently building a 5.6-mile light rail line and the City is holding meetings with the community to look at a revitalized "main street"with new housing and shops from PCC Cascade west to the Adidas headquarters on Greeley Avenue. The five buildings the college hopes to construct at Cascade include an advanced technology complex, to be located east of the library on Killingsworth Street, and a physical education facility and community center across the street and adjacent to the Jefferson High School athletic field. Other plans include a humanities building, possibly located on the corner of Killingsworth and Albina streets and facing west to meet students entering a college corridor from the Interstate Avenue light rail station and I-5 freeway. Completing the vision is a science building, proposed for the west side of Albina Street, and a general-purpose classroom and emergency services training facility for one block west of Albina. "It is a wonderful opportunity to influence an area larger than a single building,"said Blumthal. "We’re talking about transition within an existing neighborhood to meet the goals and mission of the college with sensitivity and careful consideration of the neighborhood. That is the real challenge."Rock Creek:Approximately $35 million of the bond targets improvements at the Rock Creek Campus. Students will have a new library building, doubling in size from the current facility. The science and technology building will get two additional laboratories to help ease student waiting lists for science labs. Renovated technical training facilities are also part of the plan, in programs such as diesel, welding, landscape and building construction. In addition, labs across the campus will be designed to accommodate the growing use of technology in teaching. The library building will be located at the front of the campus and will be designed to serve as a gateway or architectural entrance point for the rest of the campus. Student services may also be located in the library building. In mid-March, the board selected Thomas Hacker and Associates for work on the Rock Creek Campus. The campus is also selecting campus steering and oversight committees to work on the projects over the next six years. This summer, the architects will be updating the Master Plan for the campus and then meet with Washington County to work through the planning issues."We are thrilled to be the architect for this project because of our strong belief in the value of the PCC system,"said Thomas Hacker, who is leading the project for his firm. "We’re also excited by the beauty of the PCC Rock Creek site and the challenge of balancing the image of the campus with the character of the surrounding community and landscape."The firm’s range of past projects include the urban center and university plaza at Portland State University, the Beaverton city library and the High Desert Museum in Bend. Sylvania Campus:The main focus for Sylvania is a new 20,000 square-foot two-story building for classrooms and a distance learning facility, and extensive renovations of the existing buildings – many of which were built in 1966 – to bring them up to date. The campus will get $42 million worth of bond proceeds for the projects. The new building will be located on the southeast side of the campus near the library and Automotive Building. In March, the board of directors chose Opsis Architecture/Group McKenzie to design and oversee the project. Alec Holser, a partner and lead designer for the project, said, "It’s particularly exciting to be working on what was the original main campus and to fill out what are the remaining key components and renovations to bring the rest of the buildings into the 21st century."Holser said the design of the new building and its position on campus would lend itself to "somewhat of a gateway building. It offers an opportunity to open the campus up to the community as you approach the building."The Sylvania Campus Master Plan, already approved by the City, allows Sylvania to move forward more quickly than the other two campuses with construction and renovation. Holser said the design of the new building will possibly use "concrete and metal, and a lot of glass. Our firm focuses on sustainable design, environmentally sensitive design efforts that are comprehensive, from the site work to how you use natural light."Remodeling work on the food services area will begin in late May. This $4 milli

on project is led by the architectural firms of BOOR-A and Cine-Little. Southeast Center:Exciting plans are stirring for the Southeast Center that point to a new site for students. "Our hope is to acquire a vacant former retail site on 82nd Avenue,"said McEwen. The college held a meeting this spring with southeast Portland residents, soliciting input. The meeting was "very positive,"said McEwen. "The current site does not give us enough parking, and it would be very costly to renovate."PCC officials envision a two- to three-story building, financed by bond money and funds from the sale of the existing Southeast Center site. Sidebar:PCC Board Names Future Cascade Building for MoriartyDan Moriarty’s legacy at PCC will be long remembered after he leaves in June. The board of directors surprised Moriarty, president of the college for the past 15 years, by naming the future humanities building at Cascade after him. The board made the surprise announcement at the gala farewell fund-raiser honoring his legacy at PCC. Karen McKinney, chair of the board of directors, made the surprise announcement. The board named the new building the Daniel F. Moriarty Humanities Building. McKinney also presented Moriarty with a watercolor rendering of the future facility. The event, sponsored by the PCC Foundation, helped raise funds to establish the Dan and Karen Moriarty Scholarship Fund for students. The Foundation transformed the Sylvania Campus dining room under the theme "Honoring a Commitment to Diversity,"and brought in a mariachi band, Irish dancers, and Irish bagpiper, and screened a farewell video tribute of Moriarty’s accomplishments.