GCC facility in Baja is a year away

GLENDALE — It may be another year before Glendale Community College’s new field station on the Baja California peninsula is ready for use, the director of the school’s Baja California Field Studies Program told the college’s board of trustees Monday.

“We are about 60% finished,” director Jose Mercadé said.

Given the status of construction, Mercadé predicted that the facility could be opened to students by November or December 2008.

“I feel very confident that barring any unforeseen consequences, things will proceed smoothly,” Mercadé told the trustees after giving a presentation that included aerial photos of the construction site.

At the board of trustees meeting on May 21, Mercadé told trustees that the project was more likely to be finished in fall 2008 rather than summer, when officials had hoped it would be done.

The trustees approved the final plans for the facility in February.

Four out of the five buildings in the new facility should be up by Nov. 15, Mercadé said. The facility’s garage, which will be used to house boats and other vehicles, is done.

The academic wing is basically finished, with the exception of the security doors.

The student housing wing, which is nearly ready for its roof to be put on, and the bathroom and shower building, are on pace to be completed by Nov. 15.

It may take until March or April to complete the two-story field house.

And tasks to be completed in the summer and fall of 2008 include work on staff housing and the entrance and walkways of the facility, as well as painting and electrical wiring for the buildings, Mercadé said.

Mercadé said he was comfortable with the pace of the construction so far.

“Mexico is not the United States,” Mercadé said.

“Things are done differently.”

The field station is on the eastern side of the Baja California peninsula, close to the town of Bahia de los Angeles, a fishing village of about 800 people.

The college rents a facility in Bahia de los Angeles, where students take classes in marine biology, biology and intercultural studies as part of study abroad excursions.

The college is also in the process of seeking approval from the Mexican government that would give the college access to the strip of land between the field station property and the Sea of Cortez.

“It basically means it is for our exclusive use,” Mercadé said, describing the impact of the pending concession zone.

The project is still under budget for construction-specific and total expenses, Mercadé said.

The total budget for the project is approximately $417,000, with about $266,000 budgeted for construction costs. At this point, the projected cost of construction is about $260,000, Mercadé said.

Board member Vahé Peroomian asked Mercadé whether a permanent fence around the Baja facility was being planned. Mercadé said a fence had not been put into the project budget.

“We’re looking forward to the completion of this project and the beginning of this program,” board President Armine Hacopian said.