Glendale Community College will see campus construction yet again during the spring and summer sessions as the South Gym faces a major project to add faculty offices and expand the current fitness center.
According to Bill Taylor, director of business services, the success of the fitness center has resulted in requests by the P.E. department to expand in order to accommodate more people and services.
Along with the request for expansion, new faculty offices are in high demand.

Due to these issues, the college has decided to make the South Gym two stories, construction with the first floor becoming an expansion of the fitness center and the second floor becoming the center for faculty offices.

“Basically, we are addressing two issues with one project,” said Taylor.
The $850,000 project will bring the bleachers and risers currently being housed in the basketball courts down to the level of the court. The remodeling will also include the construction of a divider with a door that will separate the gym and newly expanded fitness center. Then, a second floor, equipped with an elevator and staircase, will be built for the construction of faculty offices.

Finally, the project will also include the replacement of the original 1950s gym floor.
Funds for the project are allocated from fund balance money from the last two years, said Taylor. Monies from Measure G will also be earmarked for the project.

Lundgren Management, which is the college’s current contractor company for the Cimmarusti Science Center, will also be undertaking plans for the remodeling of the South Gym. According to Taylor, potential contractors will be out to bid Monday and open bids will be taken until March 15. Then, the project will be taken to the Board of Trustees on April 1 for approval.

The gym will be shut down for use beginning April 15, said Taylor. It will not be up for use again until September for fall classes.

The PE department will be using the outside basketball courts and possibly the current dance facilities in order to hold classes. If any delays result in construction and the gym is unable to reopen doors for service by the fall semester, the basketball team will also use the outside basketball courts for practice and may rent Glendale High School’s or Hoover High School’s gyms to play its games. However, Taylor is confident the college “should have the gym available in plenty of time.”