By Shelly Williams/se news editor

To help control overcrowding and space issues at SE Campus, TCC trustees agreed last week to break ground on a new building full of classrooms.

Originally built to hold about 5,000 students, SE Campus received six new fully furnished, but temporary, portable buildings in January to help accommodate the 12,000 enrolled this semester, said SE Campus President Judith Carrier.

“The SE Campus had one of our lowest enrollment growth rates this semester,” said Bill Lace, executive assistant to the chancellor, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “That’s not because there’s no demand. It’s because there’s no space.”

The new building’s facilities will consist of science classrooms and laboratories, along with student services and faculty offices. The building will have 28 classrooms and 24 offices to help maintain the growing population of the school.

“In particular, it will help disperse some of the students who are in the east wing, where the majority of our classrooms and laboratories are,” Carrier said. “The laboratories are direly needed and will enhance science areas such as geology, biology, chemistry and computer science.”

Steve Hilton, project manager for the building, said a five-year capital improvement program funds the building and production will cost more than $31 million but will increase to $40.9 million with additional fees.

However, construction will not impact entry or exit to the campus, Carrier said.

“I don’t know how the construction flow of traffic will affect our students,” she said. “The building will be in most of the southeast parking lot area, so there likely won’t be parking there. There will be no obstruction to the circular drive for traffic flow, but a flagman will be provided when needed.”

The new building will be completed by 2010, Hilton said.

“We’re thrilled about this,” Carrier said in the Star-Telegram. “We’ve been talking about this for a few years, and I’m glad it’s actually happening.”