Bakersfield College faculty met at the Levan Center on Oct. 25 to discuss the future of the campus using Measure J – a $503 million bond to construct new buildings and renovate the more than 60-year-old campus.

The Measure J and Facilities Master Planning meeting included BC President Sonya Christian, Maintenance and Operations Director Bill Potter, Kern Community College District Chancellor Tom Burke, Trustee Bill Thomas, as well as several representatives of various departments across campus from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to agriculture.

Also at the master planning was AECOM-Parsons, a partnership between AECOM, a management and networking firm, and Parsons, an engineering, technical, construction, and professional service firm, who will be working with BC along with various other local firms.

The plan presented at the meeting will be undergoing review by the Facilities and Sustainability Committee, the BC College Council, and the KCCD Board of Trustees between January and May of 2018. Following review and approval, with the assistance of AECOM on management and Parsons on construction, large-scale projects will begin construction.

Some of the projects included are a Science and Engineering building, a Veterans Resource Center, a Public Safety Instruction building, an ABC/Campus Center, a satellite campus for Arvin and a possible parking structure.

According to AECOM Vice Principal and PMCM Regional Business Line Leader Domingo Camarano, the current plan is to begin construction as early as 2018, with two to five projects beginning construction every following year.

During the presentation, Christian expressed her excitement and hope for BC’s future.

“It is crucial that everyone involved in this endeavor is engaged, efficient, and effective, both during the planning and revising process and during construction.”

She went on in placing her confidence in AECOM-Parsons and their skills as a firm capable of taking on such a large project.

Christian said, “With all of us working together, we can turn Bakersfield College into a better institution for our students for decades to come.”