This content was published: December 19, 2011. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Annual Report for the PCC Bond Program: Before beginning, plan carefully. (Cicero)
Photos and Story by Gina Whitehill-Baziuk
Looking across the PCC landscape there are few building cranes or customary signs of construction (PCC’s new Newberg Center, an exciting exception!). The intense planning work that has been the heart and soul of most of the bond work this past year is setting the foundation for success.
Having selected the preferred campus plan, the campus community concentrated on identifying initial academic programming and student service needs for the Building 7 addition at Rock Creek.
Success in fully engaging the many audiences impacted by the vast array of improvements at each campus; success in assessing how to best utilize our State required 1.5% allocation of solar energy improvements; success in surveying staff, faculty, and students to understand their needs and identify the most appropriate design and place-making solutions; success in engaging the communities around our campuses to ensure the College’s and communities’ interests
are equally met; success in designing the kind of learning spaces and support services that
will meet the College’s long term mission; and success in building and remodeling existing
structures in the most flexible, cost effective and sustainable fashion possible.
A few highlights from the year’s district-wide efforts include:
The Campus and the community worked with 3D models as a tool to help visualize dozens of variables for best serving the growing number of Cascade students and the adjoining residents and businesses.
- Solar consultants completed a district-wide solar site assessment identifying the premier locations for college solar investments.
- Transportation Demand Management experts are assisting the College in identifying viable options to reduce single occupancy vehicles on our campuses. A large district-wide committee of students, faculty and staff are involved with this comprehensive effort.
- Over 11,000 students, faculty and staff members took part in three surveys – one seeking input on the delivery and preferences for food services; another seeking input on classroom technology, student services, workspace environment and study spaces, transportation, child care, campus safety, library services, and way-finding; and a third asking detailed input on campus travel behavior. Information gained is helping to better inform the needs of the College and in turn the way we design, build, renovate and improve our facilities and operations.
- Upgrading the College’s 20 year-old phone system to new “Voice over IP” technology started in 2009. The new integrated system will better manage queues, provide much better caller customer service to heavy call areas such as Admissions, Registration, Help Desk, etc. and will reduce costs by using the same cabling as the College’s online email system. Initiatives like these take patience, perseverance, thoughtful engagement and planning – a bit more time on the front end but lasting beneficial gains for the College and community overall. We look forward to applying these efforts as we dig into campus construction this coming year.
Read the full Annual Report for the PCC Bond Program 2011