MONROE, Mich. – Ground was broken yesterday afternoon on the construction of an addition to the Life Sciences Building on Monroe County Community College’s Main Campus that is designed to foster student collaboration.
The ceremony took place on the northwest side of the building where the entrance to the new addition will be located. Three MCCC trustees – Vice Chair Mary Kay Thayer, Secretary Aaron Mason and Trustee Marjorie Kreps – along with Jim Jacobs and Woodrow Hoffer of James S. Jacobs Architects, PLLC, the architectural firm for the project, turned the first shovels of dirt on the addition.
The approximately 2,500-square-foot expansion will fill a need in the Life Sciences Building for adequate, modern space outside the classroom for students to work both collaboratively and independently. The project will include the installation of permanent seating areas and team work rooms where students can gather, complete with flexible furniture, ample technology, acoustics and lighting designed with collaboration in mind, a vending area and more. Click this link to view a PDF of architectural renderings of the Life Sciences Building addition:
http://www.monroeccc.edu/millageprojects/renderings/LS%20Bldg_Student%20Collaboration%20Area_4-4-17.pdf.
The addition is part of a $1.25-million upgrade to the Life Sciences Building that also includes major exterior structural repairs to prevent the eventual failure of connecting masonry ribs. Fifty masonry panels are being removed, each weighing approximately 8,000 pounds. The masonry panels were designed to provide shade from the sun; they will be replaced with a modern exterior facade system that will more effectively serve this purpose. Work began on that project in early July.
Both projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of December.
The projects are the first to be financed by the 5-Year Maintenance and Replacement Millage Monroe County voters approved in November. The millage levies .85 mill property tax levy for Monroe County Community College each year through 2020 that is earmarked for critical maintenance and renovation projects to protect the community’s more than 50-year investment in the college’s buildings and infrastructure. Included are projects to update safety, accessibility, technology and the learning environment, as well as maintenance that has been deferred because of tight budgets.
About Monroe County Community College
Founded in 1964, Monroe County Community College is a public, two-year institution supported by tax monies from Monroe County, educational funds from the State of Michigan and student tuition.
The college’s mission is to enrich and transform lives by providing opportunities and excellence in higher education. The Main Campus is located at 1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Mich., 48161, with easy access to Toledo and Detroit. The Whitman Center is located at 7777 Lewis Ave.,Temperance, Mich., 48182, near the Ohio-Michigan Border. Detailed information about MCCC is available at www.monroeccc.edu.
From left, Monroe County Community College Director of Campus Facilities Jack Burns, Jim Jacobs of James S. Jacobs Architects, MCCC Board Secretary Aaron Mason, MCCC Board Vice Chair Mary Kay Thayer, MCCC Trustee Marjorie Kreps, Dean of MCCC's Science and Mathematics Division Kevin Cooper, and Woodrow Hoffer of James S. Jacobs Architects participate in yesterday's ceremonial groundbreaking for an addition to the college's Life Sciences Building.