In the next few months there will be a lot of construction activity  buzzing around campus, with several major projects going on at the same time.

Remodeling work will begin on the campus' original library, now called the Palomino Center, sometime in March. The Ray Ellison Family Center will begin construction adjacent to the George Ozuna Jr. Learning Resource Center in late summer.
 
Maintenance projects, including painting and patching of  exterior walls, re-roofing buildings and digging under  buildings to reestablish crawl spaces, will continue throughout campus.
 
Here are some of the major construction projects students can expect to see around campus in the next few months: 

The Palomino Center 

Following renovation, Student Services, including Continuing Education, Assessment, the Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC), Counseling and other academic support offices will move to this location. 

Jack Pellek, facilities director for Alamo Community College District (ACCD) said the contractor will begin work in March with completion scheduled for July.  He said, “The intent is to get the work done in time for Student Services to move in and be ready for registration for the Fall semester.” 

Pat Terrell, Interim Dean of Student Services, said the idea of having all student services located under one roof is the concept Palo Alto has had for the past 13 years. “We grew so fast that we had to put our support units in another area,” said Terrell. 

Moves will create a domino effect. Counseling will move into the current SLAC building after SLAC relocates to the Palomino Center.  When Counseling moves, then Admissions and Financial Aid will relocate into Counseling's  current space. “It’s going to be better for our students, and better for our staff,” said Terrell. “They are going to have more space.” 

Nina Martinez, an 18-year-old freshman at Palo Alto College said: “I think it will be good for the students because everything will be centralized.  Now, everything is spread out.” 

Ray Ellison Family Center 

Architectural renderings of the Ray Ellison Family Center

The 5,000 square foot building will be located on the southeast side of the George Ozuna Jr. Learning Resource Center and will serve about 45 children between the ages of two to four. 

Louis Kreusel, project manager for the Alamo Community College District, said contractor bids are due March 11. The project should be “substantially complete” by January 2000. 

Leandro M. Esparza, director of Student Activities,  is chair of the Child Care Committee at Palo Alto College. He emphasized that the new building will be small, but with “colorful, whimsical externalities.”  He said: “Everything is still on schedule. The facility, according to the construction phases, would come on line basically a year from now.  Students will not see the start of any new construction until late summer.”
 
Rebecca Reyes, a mother of two children, and a full-time student in her sophomore year at Palo Alto, is excited about the new child care facility being built on campus. 

“I think it will  be great,” said Reyes. “I wouldn’t mind volunteering to work there and read to the kids.” Reyes said she is looking forward to the day she can look in or her child while on her way to the Mega Lab or gym. She said that the location will make it easy for her to see her youngest child between classes. 

On-Going Repair Work 

Crumbling buildings on campus were recently reported on  in  a San Antonio Express-News  article dated Jan. 20, 1999. The story  covered damage to exterior walls because of the campus’ clay soil; the campus’ leaky roofs because of  the installer’s lack of experience; andthe  excavation of crawl spaces beneath certain buildings.
 
 Jack Pellek, facilities director for the ACCD, said: “There’s clay soil in the area that expands and contracts as it gets wet and dries off. Over time, the expandings have exceeded the contractings, so the whole campus is higher that it was when it was built 15 years ago. As a result, pres- sure on exterior walls has caused the styrofoam walls wrapped in stucco to buckle and crack.” 

 One building has been completed, and contractors are three-quarters through a second building, with another building scheduled for later this year. As for the leaky roofs problem, Pellek said four more buildings are scheduled to be re-roofed in the near future. 

 For more information on construction around campus, contact Facilities Services at 921-5371.