President plans for structure

Published in Long Beach City College's Viking newspaper in 2007. Byline shared with Dana Salg.

Parking lot J at the LAC may receive a face-lift with the possibility of a parking structure in the next 3-5 years, LBCC President Eloy Oakley said during a press conference Thursday, March 1.
One of the biggest problems the college is facing is how the project will be funded. A measure, which voters approved in 2002, funds the current construction south of Carson Street and other projects.
"We may send a vote to the people for another bond measure to obtain the funds," Oakley said.
Oakley said the college's board knew a parking structure needed to be built at some point in time to accommodate LBCC's large number of students.
"We want it to happen," Oakley said. "But with each stall costing about $16,000, it's just a matter of getting the funds together."
Computer science major Jonathan Cortez said, "I was talking to my friend about how a parking structure should be built. I'm late to half of my classes because of the parking situation. It would help in those first days of a semester too."
Oakley said the structure would include 500 additional parking spaces and the cost for the project ranges from $8 million-$10 million.
"We are still in the very early stages of planning this project," Oakley said.
LBCC has lost 30 percent spending power for the current South Quad Complex and other projects. "Two years ago, a square foot cost $200 and now the price has risen to $450-$500," Oakley said. "That's about $40 million more than originally planned and that's the biggest challenge we are dealing with concerning construction."
Oakley said the South Quad Complex is slated to finish in Spring 2008.