Joint Use Facility move-in delayed but opening still slated for fall 2010

By Jessica Luthi
The Guardsman

The City College Joint Use Facility is scheduled to open on time even though the original move-in date set for mid-July is now slated for August.

“The project is a little behind schedule,” David Liggett, director of facilities planning, said. “But we are still on time for the opening in the fall.”

Despite the delay, the project is still within its $64.69 million budget, and there have been no problems with the construction of the building, Liggett said.

The Joint Use Facility will provide additional classroom and lab space. “The Joint Use Facility will house programs that are jointly run with San Francisco State,” said Lawrence Klein, dean of behavioral and social sciences at City College.

Some of the programs include childhood development, teacher preparation and health education.

Construction of the Joint Use Facility began in fall 2008 after the Balboa Reservoir land exchange was approved by the board of trustees on Nov. 20, 2008.

The land exchange allowed the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and City College to change how the Balboa Reservoir was divided among both parties, giving City College ownership of the southern half while the SFPUC became owners of the northern half adjacent to Archbishop Riordan High School.

The facility is a part of City College’s Master Plan, a 10- to 15-year guide for construction projects at City College. The Master Plan also included the construction of the Student Health Center, the Community Health and Wellness Center and renovation and construction of the Mission campus.

The Joint Use Facility will use geothermal wells to provide a more energy-efficient heating and cooling system, which will reduce energy consumption and help the building become a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified building.

“We are currently applying with the USGBC, the U.S. Green Building Council, for a LEED certification, which will be determined after the completion of the building,” Liggett said.

He added the Joint Use Facility is on par with being a LEED Gold Standard building, exceeding San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s stringent green building ordinance that was passed in 2008. The ordinance requires all new construction or buildings receiving significant upgrades in the City and County of San Francisco to be at least LEED Silver Certified.