Bakersfield College will tear down the Humanities Building to build a new humanities facility in a different location under a proposed $194.4 million plan.
The new building, which would house Humanities and Business, will be located in the grassy free speech area often used for student activities. The total for the humanities project exceeds $14 million.
Ash West, vice president of communications for the ASBC, said that he was not aware of any projected changes to BC buildings until he was interviewed by The Rip.
“Just from the 30 seconds I’ve had to look over that (the Maas plan), it looks like a good enough plan because they’re moving humanities to the free speech area,” he said. “They’re just consolidating basically all the classrooms to one area, which is nice. You don’t have to walk as far.”
The plan was developed by Maas Companies of North Fork, Calif. after Maas was hired by the Kern Community College District following the passage of Measure G, a $180 million bond measure approved by voters in 2002. While Measure G would cover some projects, others are candidates for state funding, according to the plan.
Jane Black, Maas official, said if all of the plan is approved, it would take 15 years to complete.
Ken Meier, vice president of student learning, said that it would be about a year and a half to two years before the Humanities project would begin.
“It is a very high priority for us to build a new building in the center quad because it is very, very expensive to develop what we call swing space, some place to put people,” he said. “It would cost us literally millions of dollars to bring in mobiles. So by building a new building we’ll be able to move all the Student Services people into the humanities building in a couple years and then go in and do that building right.”
Meier said the administration wants faculty and staff involved in the design of classrooms and offices. The project must then be approved by the state.
Carol Cunningham, chair of the English Department, said that she thinks the plan for a new humanities building is a good idea, although she does have some questions.
“In terms of the college growing, I think it’s a wonderful thing, but this is so far in advance it seems to me the key is going to be how that building is going to function, what it’s going to look like,” she said.
Cunningham said that administrators need to discuss the plans with students and faculty.
“I am hoping that when the real plans come out that they listen to students, who have the most experience sitting in chairs to know what kind of chairs are convenient for everybody … and that they talk to teachers and students and engineers for air conditioning, for windows that are perhaps openable,” she said. “I think that is one of the great advantages of the Humanities Building, power goes out, I just open a window.”
Six projects are taking place now, Meier said. One of these is the land acquisition and the building of the 17,094-square-foot science center facility at the Delano Center, a project estimated to cost just about $6.7 million.
A new Allied Health Building also is planned.
“We are also planning a new building for Nursing-Allied Health and the reason that is on the agenda is the state really is very concerned about the nursing pipeline issues and so we think there may be state money available to build that facility,” Meier said.
The plan also includes moving The Rip’s office from where it is currently located in Campus Center to the Fine Arts Building, and moving the Health Center, currently located in Student Services, to where The Rip and the Job Placement Center are located.
Cindy Collier, director of Allied Health, which oversees the Health Center, said the plan is just a proposal and nothing is finalized.
Projects planned