By Terry Webster/ne news editor
NE Campus will soon enter the final phase of a renovation project for the Business and Social Science Building that will provide updated technology, renovated classrooms, more office space and a community meeting room.
It could cost up to $3.5 million to make all needed repairs to the building, which was built in 1968, according to the TCC Master Plan.
Improvements under the completed project include DVD Blu-Ray players with 3-D capabilities and a practice area for speech students so they can record themselves, said Cedric Hights, coordinator of media services.
The project is divided into two phases, the south and north sides of the NBSS building. The south side of the building is expected to be completed in December. Then work will begin on the north side.
As the south side of the building was renovated, classes were temporarily housed in the NE Multipurpose Center. The same process will take place when the north side of the building is renovated next semester.
The center is already equipped with rooms that function as classrooms.
The temporary NMPC classroom space is not expected to be needed after the project is complete.
“When both phases are complete next spring, I don’t anticipate that we will need to use the swing space because of enrollment growth as we will gain a number of new classrooms,” said NE Campus President Larry Darlage.
The college’s growing enrollment is also not expected to make a significant impact on NBSS because the growth has come mainly from online classes, he said.
“This has virtually no impact on building space usage,” he said. “We also have seen major increases in enrollment on the weekends, and we still have a lot of classrooms available on Saturdays and Sundays. So, in terms of enrollment growth, space may not be as much of an issue as having sufficient faculty and staff.”
College officials did not immediately have figures for how many classrooms the project will add.
In the meantime, Karen Silverberg, paralegal studies coordinator and professor, said she has some concern that her students will have to walk from the Multipurpose Center to use the library during class.
A significant portion of class time is spent in the library, she said.
“If we have to spend 15 minutes walking back and forth to the library, that could be a problem,” Silverberg said.
She was recently awaiting word on whether the class could use a classroom in the completed wing of the building.
“I think it will all work out fine,” she said.
