Sawdust will begin flying in May 1999 when the renovation of Commerce West begins in earnest. Made possible by a generous gift from a donor, the renovations will include: enhanced classrooms, a first-floor student lounge, fifteen new offices and a conference room (in space gained on the third floor when the cooling system is redone) and additional restroom facilities. Hallways and stairwells will be refurbished, and the building will be rewired to allow us to bring new technology throughout the building. The most dramatic change will be the handsome new west central entrance hall, which opens onto Sixth Street. The hall will feature a domed ceiling, information board, and donor recognition area. The outside will feature a handsome new plaza.

Much of the renovation will not be visible, but when the building is completed it will carry the college forward into the new millenium.

Over the winter break, the project received a jump-start. Construction crews began the slow process of asbestos removal. Floors 2-4 were each closed for a week while the asbestos was removed from the ceilings in the hallways. Now those hallways look like the prison corridors, dimly lit and pock marked. The first and ground floors will be treated during spring break. Doing a project of this magnitude without interrupting classroom instruction presents a major challenge. The next year and a half will not be pretty, but the end results will be well worth the mess and noise. This is one of those situations where it "has to get worse before it gets better."

Watch for updates! And be prepared to celebrate the grand opening with us in the Fall of 2000.
--Alice Waldoff