The plan to build a new two-story, 16,000 square-feet Mohr Hall building at City College has been delayed until state funds come through for the construction of the building.
“We don’t have enough money in Measure A and Measure M to do everything with local funding,” said Robert Martinelli, vice president of administrative services.
Construction for new buildings on campus is currently funded by a combination of local bond and state bond measures.
“We’ve put it out of our minds and we’re living with what we have,” said Jim Collins, dean of Science and Allied Health, in response to the new Mohr Hall delay. “Faculty understands that funds are hard to come by right now.”
According to Martinelli, City College is “eligible” for more instructional space due to higher enrollment. This upswing in the student population directly effects the distribution of funds.
In order to meet the higher capacity needs, the state has approved funding for future building projects through state bond measures.
For the time being, California’s budget crisis has caused the state to do away with school bond measures, according to Martinelli.
“Some of our projects have slipped and will slip,” said Martinelli, referring to building projects that have been delayed by the budget. “I’m not sure all the slippage is all done yet.”
One project that is moving forward is a new Student Services building. According to Martinelli, it is being funded exclusively by local bond measures so that the school is not depending on the state to provide them with funds.
The current Administration of Justice and Student Service building will be demolished and rebuilt into a large, two-story facility. Construction is expected to begin July 2012.
Many of the buildings on campus are more than 50 years old, according to Martinelli, and would benefit from some form of updating.
Collins said that he would like to see all the classrooms in the building updated into smart classrooms, with better audio/visual and Internet support and more flexible seating.
According to Patricia Zuccaro, City College archivist, Mohr Hall opened in the spring of 1963. The building was named for Paul Mohr, the fourth president of City College, and was intended to house classrooms and office space for physics and nursing classes.
Today, Mohr Hall is home to physics, geology, and many other classes in the Science and Allied Health Division, including vocational nursing and occupational and physical therapy
