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| DID YOU KNOW? |
The Los Angeles Community College District has awarded more than $4 million in construction contracts to contractors that have completed the Small Business Boot Camp program.
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| EVENT NEWS |
January 25, 2007
Auto Metal Building Ramp Ground Breaking
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: L.A. Trade-Tech College, 400 West Washington Blvd.,
Los Angeles 90015
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February 9, 2007
District Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting
Time: 12 Noon
Location: LACCD Board Room, 770 Wilshire Blvd., Downtown Los Angeles
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April 25, 2007
Child Development Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Los Angeles Southwest College, 1600 W. Imperial Hwy., Los Angeles 90047
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L.A. City College Celebrates Ground Breaking for its New $22 Million Library-Resource Center with Ceremony |
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The new Martin Luther King Jr. Library - Resource Center is funded by the L.A. Community College District's Proposition A/AA Bond Construction Program and State grants
Equipped with golden shovels, officials from the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and Los Angeles City College (LACC) dug into the dirt at the future site of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library - Resource Center to cap off a ground breaking ceremony for the campus' newest facility. The three-story, $22 million structure will be located at the north end of the East Hollywood campus, and will replace the existing library built in the mid 1930's.
"The Martin Luther King Jr. Library - Resource Center will be one of the centerpiece buildings on campus," said Sylvia Scott-Hayes, vice president of the LACCD Board of Trustees. "The library will become an oasis of learning, a resource of information and knowledge for our students, and a place where they can congregate, study and learn."
"With three stories of space, our new library will provide many amenities for college library patrons," said Dr. Steve Maradian, president of LACC. "In addition to housing the library’s collection of 150,000 books, it will have more than 150 computer stations for Internet and database research, as well as many individualized carrels and group study rooms."
The new 64,000 sq. ft. building will include electronic classrooms, creating new opportunities for teaching and learning by integrating computer, multimedia, audio-visual, and network technologies. The library will also house computer and general study areas in addition to administrative offices. The facility will also have sustainability features designed to increase energy efficiency and decrease waste.
"This library was named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who had an amazing dream,” noted Barbara Vasquez, library chair for LACC. “Our college also has a dream-to transform this campus, and help our students achieve their own dreams for success. Our new library will help those dreams come true. "
"With more than 12,000 people visiting our current library each week, the idea of having a new library on campus with state-of-the-art technologies, amenities and resources is extremely exciting,” said Ryan Hall-Allen, president of LACC's Associated Student Organization.
“The benefits to students and the surrounding community will be tremendous," he added.
The new Martin Luther King, Jr. Library received $18 million in State funding, and is partially funded by the LACCD's Proposition A/AA Bond Program. LACC's new library is scheduled for completion in early 2008.
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| L.A. Community College District's Free Boot Camp Shows Contractors How to Bid on Public Agency Work |
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Recent graduating class prepared more than 100 contractors for bidding on public agency work
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) celebrated the graduation of more than 100 contractors from its latest Small Business Boot Camp on November 17. Supported by the LACCD, University of Southern California's Minority Business Development Center, and the Los Angeles Unified School District, the ceremony acknowledged graduates for their commitment to completing the Boot Camp program, which prepares participants for public contracting processes.
The Small Business Boot Camp provides a free, eight-week training program for contractors interested in bidding on public agency construction contracts. At the program's conclusion, small contractors have the tools and resources necessary to bid on public agency work, should they choose to do so.
 Boot Camp classes address a variety of bidding-related issues, including: possible obstacles on bidding; bonding and certification; contractor prequalification; bid on informal and formal contracts; public contract law; principles of estimating and scheduling; developing safety plans; access to capital; and labor compliance.
To date, 250 contractors have graduated from the Small Business Boot Camp. The LACCD has awarded more than $4 million in construction contracts to Boot Camp graduates since the Proposition A/AA Bond program's inception.
Boot Camp enrollment applications can be obtained online here: Small Business Boot Camp Application.
The LACCD offers on-going business opportunities for work on the Proposition A/AA construction campaign that is modernizing the nine Los Angeles Community Colleges. For more information on the Small Business Boot Camp, visit www.PropositionA.org.
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L.A. Community College District Honored for its Green Building Program — Largest Public Sector Program in the Nation |
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Award from US Green Building Council follows 5th annual Sustainability Conference
Capping a year of local leadership in promoting sustainable building practices, the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) was honored on Friday, Dec. 1 with the United States Green Building Council - Los Angeles Chapter's Sustainable Future Award at the 2nd annual "Swing Into Green" gala and awards ceremony. The event at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles recognized the LACCD's Board of Trustees and Larry Eisenberg, executive director of Facilities Planning, for their leadership and continued commitment to green building and sustainability initiatives.
"We will continue to develop and promote environmentally-friendly construction and design practices that not only will benefit our students and community, but will also inspire others to develop similar goals," said Michael Waxman, president of the LACCD Board of Trustees. "We are very proud and honored to be recipients of this prestigious award."
The LACCD is currently undertaking the largest public sector green building program in the United States, funded by the Proposition A/AA Bond Program. In April 2006, the District opened its first green building, the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) facility at Los Angeles Valley College. The M&O facility recentlyreceived certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) from the US Green Building Council because it incorporates a number of features designed to reduce energy, water consumption, and light impacts.
In October 2006, the LACCD further illustrated its commitment to sustainability with the announcement of its plan to be the first community college district in the nation to “go off the grid” by generating its own power for all energy needs. The District is currently seeking requests for proposals to build photovoltaic (solar energy) panels that will produce enough electricity to meet daytime power needs at each of its nine colleges.
The gala followed the LACCD’s 5th Annual Sustainability Conference, which featured leading international environmental experts who advocated for civic and business leaders to collaborate on the development and implementation of conservation policies.
"This annual conference gives the LACCD an opportunity to share with the community our vision and practices in sustainability," said Mona Field, member of the LACCD Board of Trustees. "We want to actively engage our elected officials, local businesses, students, and other community members in this historic construction program to modernize our nine colleges in environmentally responsible manner."
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| Pierce College Celebrates Expansion of Botanic Garden with Ceremonial Planting of Australian Pine Tree Thought to be Extinct |
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Second phase of S. Mark Taper Foundation Life Science Botanic Garden partially funded by the L.A. Community College District's Proposition A/AA Bond Program
Celebrating the expansion of a garden that serves as a respite from study, Pierce College, Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and elected officials recently participated in a ground breaking for the second phase of the S. Mark Taper Foundation Life Science Botanic Garden.
Highlighting the Dec. 8 ground breaking was the ceremonial planting of a Wollemi Pine, a rare, drought-resistant tree native to Australia, and thought to be extinct until its rediscover in 1994 outside of Sydney. The pine planted at Pierce College's botanic garden is the first Wollemi at a community college and one of the few planted in the United States.
"I predict this botanic garden will become a place where people come and discover what this college really has to offer," said Mona Field, member of the LACCD Board of Trustees. "For Pierce to have a continuation of a project that makes such a difference in the lives of our students and community is just fabulous."
Also speaking at the ceremony were Mr. Innes Willox, the Australian Consul-General for Los Angeles; Nancy Pearlman, member of the LACCD's Board of Trustees; Robert Garber, president of Pierce College; Darroch “Rocky” Young, LACCD chancellor; and Professor James Rikel, chair of the Life Sciences department at Pierce College.
The ceremonial planting included a “handover” of the rare pine by Mr. Willox to two Pierce Life Sciences professors, Kate Kubach, and Pat Farris. They placed the pine in a barrel, and VIPs heaped soil on the symbol of what Mr. Willox called the “hardy and sturdy spirit of Australia.”
The second phase of the S. Mark Taper Foundation Life Science Botanic Garden at Pierce College will include an array of Mediterranean plants, including Australian, and South African-native shrubs. The garden will demonstrate sustainability with additional drought-resistant plants, including many from Southern California. The full botanic garden area is approximately 80,300 sq. ft., or about two acres.
Pierce College's Botanic Garden project was funded in part by the Proposition A/AA Bond Program, and a $75,000 grant from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which helped kick start the second phase of construction. The first phase of the Botanic Garden was made possible in part with a grant from the S. Mark Taper Foundation.
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Going Off the Grid: L.A. Community College District Aims for Energy Independence
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A message from Larry H. Eisenberg, executive director of Facilities Planning and Development
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) recently released a  Request for Qualifications and Proposals (RFQP) for its ambitious Solar/Renewable Energy Program, which is funded in part by the Proposition A/AA Bond Program.
With its Renewable Energy Program, the LACCD is aiming to eliminate its annual energy bill for all nine colleges by utilizing alternative energy systems to to become energy independent and climate neutral. The LACCD intends to develop a variety of renewable resources, including solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydrogen-fueled and storage technologies to accomplish this goal.
The RQFP calls for the design, engineering and installation of one megawatt Solar Photovoltaic/ Hydrogen Fuel Cell Self-Generation and Other Green Renewable Energy Systems at all nine of its colleges and two satellite campuses. The RFQP outlines the requirement for the renewable energy systems to be turnkey projects, with completed facilities that include all items necessary for use and occupancy.
The District also plans to implement a comprehensive demand reduction program through a separately awarded performance management contract. The demand reduction program will aim to identify and install possible cost-effective technologies to minimize the demand for energy at each of the District’s nine colleges on a building by building, and space by space basis. This demand reduction concept is intended to offset the growth in energy demand that is expected to come from the LACCD's current $2.2 billion capital construction program.
If your business is interested in working on the LACCD's ground breaking energy independence plan, please visit the construction program's website at www.PropositionA.org to view the RFQP in its entirety. Response submittals to the RFQP are due on Friday, February 2, 2007 at 2 p.m.
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| Los Angeles Community College District Awards More Than $35 Million in Construction Contracts for Upgrades at Colleges |
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Contracts will bring needed construction services to Los Angeles City, Harbor, and Pierce Colleges
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) recently announced that its Board of Trustees awarded local businesses $35,155,377 in construction contracts during November 2006 for construction and upgrade projects at Los Angeles City, Harbor, and Pierce Colleges. Each contract is the result of formal competitive bidding and will be funded by the Proposition A/AA Bond program.
"These construction projects are helping us move closer to the goal of modernizing all nine Los Angeles Community Colleges to improve access to education, and create the facilities needed to prepare our students," said Sylvia Scott-Hayes, vice president of the LACCD's Board of Trustees.
The Colleges’ Board of Trustees authorized the following construction contracts in November 2006:
Los Angeles City College: Bernard Bros. Inc., a business based in San Fernando, Calif., will receive $13,455,000 to provide general construction  services for the Child Development Center. This project will provide construction services for a new four-structure complex consisting of one two-story building and three one-story buildings covering a total of 25,967 sq. ft. PBWS Architects of Pasadena designed the Child Development Center, and Harris + Associates, Inc. will oversee construction on the building as college project manager at City College. This project has also received $4,672,000 in funding from the State's Capital Outlay Program.
The Trustees also authorized a contract with C.G. Construction, a small, and minority-owned business based in Paramount, Calif., to provide general construction services for the Relocation of Other Temporary Spaces in the amount of $29,500.
Built Rite Partitions, a small and local business based in Los Angeles, will receive $10,476 to provide construction services to renovate an existing locker room in the Women's Gym for use by visiting athletic teams.
Los Angeles Harbor College: Taisei Construction, a general contractor in Cypress, Calif., will receive $21,311,036 to provide construction services for the Technology Instruction Classroom Building project. The new 60,000 sq. ft. Technology Building will provide space for new classrooms, drafting and engineering labs, faculty offices, and will house the college's Architecture, Engineering, Business and Administration of Justice programs. The structure will meet LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, a green building rating system developed by the US Green Building Council. The new Technology Building at Harbor College has also received $6,560,000 in funding from the State Capital Outlay Program in addition to proceeds from the Proposition A/AA Bond program.
Pierce College: CAL-PAC Engineering Co., a small business in Los Angeles, will receive $119,499 to provide HAZMAT abatement and general construction services for the college's Library–Interim phase I project. CAL-PAC Engineering's services will provide for the removal and replacement of carpet on the Library's second floor, and installation of 375 new chairs.
 Grounds Control Inc., a landscape design firm located in Santa Clarita, Calif., will receive $229,866 to provide general construction services for the Roadways, Walkways, Grounds, and Parking Lots for the Botanic Garden, phase II project. Plants for the Botanical Garden's second phase will include an array of Mediterranean plants, including Australian and South African-native shrubs. It will also include many Southern California native plants, making it a sustainable, drought resistant garden.
Businesses interested in participating in the LACCD's renovation and modernization program are encouraged to contact Donetta Pickett at DPickettAssoc@aol.com, and to visit www.PropositionA.org.
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| Photo of the Month: Pierce College Celebrates Second Phase of Botanic Garden |
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