GCC, UMass get boost from $321.6M bond

[ Originally published on: Friday, February 15, 2008 ]

GREENFIELD -- A Higher Education Bond approved Thursday by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Higher Education earmarks $321.6 million for renovations and new construction at the Greenfield Community College and UMass-Amherst campuses, state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, announced.

For GCC, $31 million would be used for the renovation and modernization of the campus core building at GCC, as well as new construction of a maintenance building and expansion of the East Building.

College President Robert L. Pura said $25 million had been in the original bill for the renovation, but that the additional $6 million ''allows for the full design of the core.''

The additions will include a larger cafeteria/food service area that will not only benefit students but provide a much-needed larger venue for special GCC events or for community use.

It will also provide better walkway flow-through between the north and south wings and the core of the campus building.

The funding will also result in improvements to the building entrance, with more glass and natural lighting and a ramp walkway for those in wheelchairs, for whom the steps are inaccessible.

It will also bring improvements to what Pura calls the ''new learning center,'' which will consist of the college library, technology center and peer tutoring area.

When the bill is finally approved, Pura said the college, the state Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), and Gensler Architects will work together to come up with final design plans, which will be shared with the community.

''This is truly an exciting opportunity for GCC and for the community,'' Pura said. ''I want to say how appreciative we are of the governor's leadership on the bond bill, and of our legislators who worked hard to ensure that the opportunity we have here was realized.''

Pura thanked Rosenberg and Reps. Christopher Donlan, Denis Guyer, and Stephen Kulik for helping.

Pura said the capital improvement project will serve students' needs ''today and into the future.''

''It's been a long time, too long, since we've had a bond bill that invests public dollars in the capital needs at our campuses,'' Rosenberg said. ''The result has been an epidemic of deferred maintenance and an increased financial burden on students. Our goal should be a higher education system that is affordable and state-of-the-art. This bond bill is a step in that direction.''

The bond package would finance renovation, modernization and new construction projects that have been approved by the Board of Higher Education or the UMass board of trustees. Locally, those projects include $290.6 million for UMass-Amherst, including:

u $85 million for new classrooms

u $100 million for new science labs

u $12.6 million for repairs to Machmer Hall

u $41.75 million for renovations to Lederle Research Center

u $51.3 million for renovations to Morrill Science Center

Rosenberg said the necessity for a higher education bond bill was a centerpiece of his work as co-chair of the Senate's Task Force on Public Higher Education in 2004-05, which outlined a comprehensive plan to re-invest in the state's public higher education system with the goal of positioning Massachusetts at the vanguard of the world's knowledge-based economies.

''Our prosperity depends on our willingness to make the investments necessary to give students of modest financial means a chance at a world-class education,'' Rosenberg said. ''I am pleased that the Legislature and the Patrick administration are staunch allies in this effort.''

The bill now goes to Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets.

 

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