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| DID YOU KNOW? |
The new Solar Farm at Los Angeles Mission College will generate enough electricity to power on average 150-200 homes.
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| EVENT NEWS |
July 31st-August 3rd, 2008
7th Annual UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference
The UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference was established in 2001 for the exchange of best practices between people engaged in or seeking to learn more about campus sustainability covering the spectrum from teaching and academic research to all aspects of campus operations. In 2008, the sustainability conference will be hosted at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, the first time ever at a California State University (CSU) campus. Fore more information or to register visit http://sustainability.calpoly.edu.
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September 24 , 2008
Los Angeles City College
MLK Library Dedication Event
Time: 10 a.m.
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Los Angeles Mission College’s Newly Dedicated Solar Farm 'Blows Away' Guests |
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The new 17,000 sq. ft. facility will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 150-200 homes
 Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and Los Angeles Mission College officials, along with honored guests, braved unusually high wind gusts as they celebrated the official “flipping of the switch” ceremony for the College’s new $1.9 million Photovoltaic (PV) farm located on top of the new four-level Parking Structure. Following the ceremony, officials released butterflies into the sky to symbolize how even the smallest contribution can have a significant impact on our environment.
“There are many physical changes taking place on campus and we are here to celebrate the latest milestone – the completion of the college’s Solar Farm,” said Judith Valles, president of Mission College. “Soon our students will benefit from additional classroom space as well as a new fitness center, media arts facility, family and consumer studies building, and a child development center.”
“This is the first step toward meeting our overall goal of generating 100 percent of the College’s electricity needs through a renewable energy source,” said Marshall E. Drummond, chancellor of the LACCD. “For me, that is one of the most exciting things.”
The project will produce an estimated 233,000 kilowatt hours on a yearly basis, which translates to eight percent of the College’s total annual energy usage.
The solar farm is equipped with 1,128 PV modules and will produce an estimated 178 kilowatts during peak day time sunshine periods. Officials estimate that the project will save the college approximately $80,000 per year in energy costs.
The PV farm is one of several projects funded with the college’s $176 million bond construction program which is part of the overall $2.2 billion in bond funding that the District received thanks to the generosity of Los Angeles voters in 2001 and 2003.
For more information on this and other projects at Mission College visit the bond program’s website at www.LACCDBuildsGreen.org/lamc.php.
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Former Trade-Tech Student Gets Her Slice of the American Pie
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The Student Voice is a feature that provides a student perspective on the bond construction program
 For 28-year-old Giovanna Romero, the eldest of four children, success was rooted into her psyche at a very young age. Her father left a career as a mechanical engineer in Mexico City and moved to East Los Angeles with his wife to start a new life in the “land of opportunity.” She credits her parents’ determination and perseverance with helping her become one of the first in her family to graduate from college and instill in her a need to succeed.
“After I graduated from U.C. Berkeley's College of Environmental Design, I attempted to get internships in architectural firms,” said Romero. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have the experience in software that they required given that my education had been primarily focused on architectural design the 'old fashioned way' which consisted of making scaled models and hand drawn renderings, so I had to take a few steps in a different direction to get to where I needed to be.” A chance encounter with Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC) professor Marcela Oliva at a conference changed her life.
She enrolled at LATTC and took several classes, including one of Oliva’s that focused on using the technological tools in the field. She later became part of the Los Angeles Community College District’s (LACCD) e7 Internship program and began to work at the e7 architecture studio where she served as vault project manager for the next two years. Her responsibilities included handling all of the LACCD’s historical documents as well as creating their historical digital archive and training other interns to maintain the database.
Now she’s proud to be able to take any building documentation, create Building Information Models (BIM) and put the information into 3D software to generate an animation for architects to show user groups. She feels the training and experience she has developed over the past couple of years at the e7 Studio will set her apart from other candidates.
Romero’s hard work at e7 definitely paid off. She was recently offered a unique opportunity as a full-time employee with BuildLACCD. As a new member to the team, Romero will work with the group who deals Division of State Architects (DSA).
“It’s a dream come true,” said Romero. “Going from an internship to being offered such a great opportunity is almost overwhelming. I can’t wait to continue exploring and learning.”
She looks forward to working closely with her fellow Build-LACCD team members and making a contribution to the bond construction program. As for future goals, she wants to become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) - certified and work in the sustainability field as well as have an architectural studio of her own for underrepresented minorities in the field.
“I’ve seen the LACCD bond construction projects evolve from schematic design to their master plans and what is to become of the nine college campuses during the next 30 years, said Romero. “The new campuses have phenomenal spaces from the landscaping to the classrooms and communal areas. LACCD will offer students environments that increase the level of awareness in anyone willing to learn."
When asked what she would advise other students she quickly responds, "Never get discouraged. Life has its ups and downs but ultimately you just got to keep striving forward and never lose sight of that dream.”
For more information on the e7 internship program visit www.laccdbuildsgreen.org/e7_internship.php.
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LACCD Hosts Outreach Conference Offering Local, Diverse Businesses Opportunity for Growth |
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District partners with various local organizations to inform members of contract opportunities
 On May 27th, the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) partnered with the Asian-American architects and Engineers Association (AAa/e), National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) to host a conference aimed at diversifying the contractor/bidding pool for the District’s $2.2 billion bond construction program. The conference, which was held at the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, attracted hundreds of local business people who were eager to learn about the various contracting opportunities available and personally meet key members of the Build-LACCD and college-specific construction teams.
“The goal of this event is to introduce to attendees ‘How to Secure Work with the LACCD Building Program’ and it’s important that we get the information out there,” said Thomas Hall, Director of Facilities Planning and Development for the LACCD. “People need to understand the processes and what opportunities are available to them, and the more information we can supply the more transparent the process will be.”
To date, the District has 50 projects currently in the design phase, 39 under Division of State Architects (DSA) review, 35 in the bid/award phase and 82 construction projects underway.
As of April 30th, the District has offered more than $998 million in contracts and is currently advertising $95 million in contracts.”
“What makes the District’s building program so special is not just the building themselves,” said Hall. “It’s about the lives you are changing with those buildings.”
For more information on the bond construction program or how to do business with the District, visit www.build-laccd.org/doing_business.html.
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| The Stars are Aligned Over Los Angeles Valley College as Campus Gets $4.4 Million in New Construction Contracts for Planetarium and Academic Buildings |
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New contracts will provide modern facilities to boost critical student access to the humanities, engineering, math and science courses
Los Angeles Valley College is seeing stars as the College recently secured a $2.6 million contract for its Planetarium Building Renovation and Humanities Building projects. The campus is also counting its lucky stars after the Board approved a $1.8 million construction contract for a brand new Engineering Building and Math and Science Building. Combined, both contracts represent approximately $4.4 million in renovation and construction funds that will add new facilities to the College and will provide students with critical access to math; science and engineering; and humanities classes.
"By adding more quality facilities in math, technology and science to our campuses, our students will have greater entrée to the core academics they need to successfully pursue high-impact careers," said Larry Eisenberg, executive director, planning and facilities development. "We continue our commitment to providing our students with more valuable resources and, as a result, more job opportunities."
The Planetarium Building Renovation and Humanities Building projects will cost $2,605,450. The scope of work will include modernizing classrooms, offices, the addition of an exterior elevator for handicap access, as well as replacing the planetarium's 45-year-old dome. For a closer view of the heavens, the planetarium will feature a 16-inch telescope, which is larger than the telescope at the Griffith Observatory. It will also house a computer graphics-based projection system. Valley's planetarium is the only facility in the San Fernando Valley with both a rooftop planetarium and observatory in the same location.
Waisman Construction, located in Woodland Hills, California, will provide general construction services for the Engineering Building and Math and Science Building, which will include modernization of existing classrooms, additional levels and office space, and smart-classrooms in the Math and Science Building. The total project cost is $1,841,000.
LACCD has contracted 77 percent of professional services and the construction program's work to date ($579,472,835 as of September 2007) to local, small, emerging and disabled-veteran enterprise businesses. Companies interested in participating in this $2.2 billion renovation and modernization program are encouraged to visit www.build-laccd.org/doing_business.html.
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| Photo of the Month: Gone with the Wind |
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Braving strong wind gusts, Dr. Marshall E. Drummond, LACCD Chancellor, releases hundreds of butterflies while Dr. Karen Hoefel, VP of Administrative Services for Los Angeles Mission College, looks on. Following the "official flipping of the switch" dedication ceremony for Mission College's new $1.9 million Solar Farm butterflies were released to symbolize how even the smallest contribution can have a significant impact on our environment
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