Photo: The 1000 block of buildings on the Southwestern College Chula Vista Campus will be demolished to make room for a new facility that will house the School of Math, Science and Engineering.
CHULA VISTA, CA. – Thousands. The number of laps that have been swum in the pools. The number of miles ran on the treadmills. The number of reps lifted in the weight room. The number of students who have been educated. The number of the building.
After more than 50 years of service, the 1000 block of buildings located at the northwest end of the Southwestern College Chula Vista campus will be demolished, along with the adjacent pools and racquetball courts, and thousands of tons of concrete and steel will be removed over thousands of hours.
What used to be the home to athletic facilities, locker rooms, classrooms and offices will begin a transformation into a new state-of-the-art facility that will soon house the School of Math, Science and Engineering. Slated to open early 2018, this project is part of Proposition R, the $389 million general obligation bond passed in 2008.
The use of heavy machinery during the demolition will cause the closure of the northwest section of the campus perimeter road beginning June 18, and will be closed the duration of the summer with a scheduled re-opening on August 12.
In collaboration with the City of Chula Vista, Southwestern College will also close the H Street entrance to campus. Pedestrian traffic will not be able to enter or exit via H Street. The City of Chula Vista will use this road closure as an opportunity to add a dedicated right turn lane into the campus from H Street. Southwestern College will use the road as the main access point for construction vehicles during the summer.
“We’re taking advantage of the road closure for the city to do their portion and for us to get the demo trucks up and down to avoid using the College’s main entrance,” said Rob DePew, Construction Manager at Southwestern College. “The plan is to have the H street entrance and perimeter road open in time for Fall semester.”
Summer classes begin June 6 and June 13, and students taking summer classes are advised to allow extra time for navigating around the construction zone.
Southwestern College currently has two other major Proposition R projects under construction. The Wellness and Aquatics Complex broke ground this year on the vacant corner lot near H Street and Otay Lakes Road. The Wellness and Aquatics Complex will feature a community fitness facility, gymnasium, Olympic size swimming pools, fitness studios and classrooms. The facility is schedule to open before the end of 2017.
The second major project began moving dirt a few months ago, and will soon offer students at the Higher Education Center (HEC) National City modern laboratories and classrooms. The new classroom building is being built on the parking lot at the corner of National City Boulevard and Plaza Boulevard, and will be completed in 2017.
