Santa Rosa Junior College

Capital Project Planning Update#14

January 19, 2006

The following represents the first 2006 Capital Project Planning Update.

1. WAYFINDING: The topic of wayfinding (assisting disabled students, primarily sight impaired, in better utilizing campus pathways and walkways in moving from one campus facility to another) has come up recently in a number of discussion venues. The College is committed to making its pathways and walkways accessible, safe and secure for its disabled students and staff. The DRD (Disabled Resources Department) is reporting an ever increasing student population of disabled individuals who wish to partake of the College’s programs and services. Currently there are nearly 2700 students who are classified with disabilities including significant numbers who are sight and hearing impaired. We are appreciative of the Board’s decision, sensitive to students and staff with special needs, to remove the poorly utilized Kent Hall facility to make way for service operations such as DRD which has made possible the College’s capability to serve larger numbers of disabled students.

DRD staff, working with the Disabled Access Committee (DAC), Facilities Operations, the District Facilities Planning Committee (DFPC), the Board Facilities Committee (BFC) and ultimately the Board itself have helped place this college on a necessary and positive track in developing safer and more secure access for SRJC students. This has led to a directive issued to the College’s engineering consultants that on all pathways, walkways related to any specific project, they are to design in wayfinding means (color contrasts, grooved concrete, etc) in current and future project work. Evidence of these design features will be expressed in the Library related pathways, the entry beautification project (adjacent to the multi-level parking structure) and the pathway leading from the bus stop at the north edge of the new parking structure. We expect that in future developmental projects (Elliott Avenue) as well as retrofitting other existing pathways. We have further asked our current consultants to provide preliminary internal circulation information as it relates to how we can circulate our students, staff, visitors and service vehicles in and around the Santa Rosa Campus. We are also working on these issues as part of the Petaluma Phase II project development.

2. PARKING & TRANSPORTATION PLAN WORKSHOPS: The first of two Parking & Transportation Plan Workshops were held on Tuesday, January 17^th at Santa Rosa and Petaluma Campus. These information sharing and gathering sessions were quite productive in that the college received several useful and positive suggestions related to the revision of the Parking & Transportation Plan. Though there were several ideas presented, much of the interest seemed to focus on a) providing safe and secure internal walkways and pathways and preventing bicycle/skateboard collisions with pedestrians (able and disabled); b) developing safe and secure bicycle “parking lots” with sturdy, secure bicycle racks and frames, the establishment of future covered bicycle shelters and the commitment to creating “points of connection” for public transit and future City approved north-south and east-west bicycle lanes near to or adjacent to the Santa Rosa and Petaluma Campuses; c) constructing a temporary pathway link to the Petaluma bicycle and pedestrian path at the east edge of the Petaluma Campus; d) increasing ride-sharing opportunities and; e) making daily parking permits more accessible to off-campus participants in community education and special events (i.e. pre-purchase of parking permits via the web, etc).

A preliminary outline draft of the Parking and Transportation Plan will be developed prior to the next set of workshops (February 14^th). At this writing, the College may need to develop inter-related documents. First, the general Parking and Transportation Plan and, later, a more specific actionable plan. In addition to seeking external input, we continue to seek faculty, student and staff input as well.

3. HIGHWAY 101 IMPACTS ON SRJC: The College has invited the City of Santa Rosa Traffic Engineer (Justin Nutt) to present the City’s understanding of the circulation plans during the two year construction of 101 improvements. The College has learned that virtually all east-west arterials from Highway 12 north to Bicentennial will be impacted either through closures, lane reductions or traffic shifts. Construction on Steele Lane is slated to commence in early April with simultaneous work on College Avenue due to start shortly thereafter. The City anticipates the worst impacts to occur during the first six (6) months (April to October). If this holds true, the Summer Session and Fall Semester 2006 will be gravely affected. Once we have specific maps and alternative routes (including public transit, etc) we will share with all faculty and staff and the tens of thousands of students and visitors who access our credit and non-credit programs. We will certainly continue to encourage ride-sharing, shuttle systems, public transit usage, walking and bicycle use where and whenever possible. However, we are clearly concerned about the possibilities of gridlock on all major arterials surrounding the Santa Rosa Campus, Santa Rosa High School and Steele Lane Elementary. College administrators are attempting to take this severely reduced access into account as they plan the Summer and Fall schedules.

4. PETALUMA PHASE II: We are currently bidding the project and anticipate construction starting in April. Additionally, we have committed to the construction of a temporary pathway link to the City of Petaluma pathway east of the campus. This pathway will serve as a link until the permanent pathway/walkway will be constructed approximately 18 months later (Fall 2007).

5. FRANK P. DOYLE LIBRARY: The adjusted completion date is May 19^th. Carpeting has been installed on the 4^th floor, ceiling grids and tile have been installed on the 4^th and 2^nd floors and continuous close-in work proceeds. Exterior walkways and landscaping portions should commence soon, weather permitting. The moving consultants will soon begin establishing the move logistics with SRJC staff and project vendors. We will soon commence TV Production Studio design work as part of the equipment budget. Furniture and equipment acquisitions continue apace.

6. MULTI-LEVEL PARKING STRUCTURE: The mat foundation pours were completed on December 17^th and form work continues for interior walls and ramp columns. Despite being covered with over 700,000 gallons of rain runoff, the project seems to be on schedule though we have lost some concrete wall pours. College staff is currently looking at lights, controls, and related building systems. Related Mendocino Avenue improvements (including single northbound left-turn lane and McConnell cross-walk systems) design work concluded this week and is to the City for their final reviews.

7. PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING CENTER ADVANCED LABORATORY PROJECT: The College expects release of drawing funds in late 2006-2007.

8. BARNETT REPLACEMENT PROJECT: Academic Affairs Council (AAC) is nearing a recommendation as to program adjacencies for this project. This will then assist in the development of the Final Project Proposal due to the Chancellor’s Office on June 1^st.

9. TAUZER GYMNASIUM REHABILITATION AND REMODEL PROJECT: Administrative Services will be submitting an Initial Project Planning proposal (IPP) to the State on June 1^st.

10. STUDENT SERVICES CENTER: At the January 10^th Board meeting, the Board approved the programming study and directed the commencement of design development (preliminary plans). The architect (BSA) will start specific design detail work and consult with SRJC staff on internal and external layouts as well as commence to develop energy conservation measures. It is expected that preliminary and working drawings will take eighteen (18) months to complete. Construction start, at this writing, when taking into DSA review and approvals, could start by early 2008. CEQA related scoping discussions will commence mid-Spring 2006.

11. PLOVER HALL CONVERSION PROJECT: Working drawings are nearly complete. We anticipate bidding this project late Summer, 2006 with a construction start in early Fall 2006.

12. ELLIOTT AVENUE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS: Schematic discussions leading to initial scoping sessions have recently commenced. At this point, we are not yet certain when will be in a position to commence scoping sessions (especially with the Elliott Avenue neighborhood.

13. NATIVE AMERICAN MUSUEM (EXISTING ART GALLERY): Schematic space planning is nearly complete. Planning issues we are looking at include the development of an outdoor exhibit patio area on the southside of Bussman Hall.

Curt Groninga

Vice President

Administrative Services

cgroninga@santarosa.edu