Topping out ceremony for Cuyamaca's Student Services Building

Posted on: Jul 12, 2021 12:00:00 AM
In: District
Buildings and Facilities
Contact: Della Elliott della.elliott@gcccd.edu

A ceremonial topping out is set for Tuesday, July 13, at 9:00 a.m. for a three-story Student Services Building under construction at Cuyamaca College, a milestone representing nearly a decade’s effort to centralize student support at the campus.

The topping out marks that construction has reached its highest point. The public event will include an opportunity for members of the college community to sign a construction beam before it is lifted by a crane, along with an American flag and an evergreen tree, atop the frame of the 36,000-square-foot center. The tree is a construction practice that symbolizes good luck for the future occupants, continued growth, and a safe jobsite.

At a groundbreaking ceremony in February, President Julianna Barnes described the center as a welcoming campus gateway and a long-awaited hub for students to engage and receive support services, such as counseling, financial aid, admissions, Extended Opportunities Programs and Services and CalWORKS.

The estimated $34.2 million construction project will include new sustainable landscaping and the reconstruction of pathways to meet ADA accessibility standards.

Prop. V funding

Construction, which is expected to continue through summer 2022, is funded by Proposition V, a $398 million bond approved by East County voters in 2012. Bond funds have enabled the district to continue the work on the college campuses that began after the 2002 passage of Prop. R, which resulted in the construction or renovation of 13 major facilities.

Recently completed Prop. V projects include a $4.2 million Student Center and Veterans Services renovation, and $17 million renovation currently underway of the Ornamental Horticulture Complex and Building M at Cuyamaca College and a $44 million Performing and Visual Arts Center and $13.2 million Phase 1 of the Science Math and Career Technology complex at Grossmont College.

Cuyamaca College, located at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in in El Cajon, has served the community since 1978 and currently enrolls more than 9,000 students annually.

For more information about the colleges and the district, go to www.gcccd.edu