Standard 8
Physical Resources
Team Members:
John Boland, lead,
Dean of Administrative Services
Delia Berlin,
Director of the Willimantic Center
Sandra Sadler,
Office Assistant
David Stifel,
Building Maintenance Supervisor
Description
The
College has two campuses, the main Danielson campus and a branch campus in
Willimantic. The Danielson campus consists of a 68-acre site, on which five
buildings are located. The main building, a 65,470 gross square foot (GSF)
facility, was built in 1983 and houses almost all classrooms and offices. The
current daycare facility, a 1,600 GSF modular building, was added in 1985. At
about the same time, a maintenance garage was built. In the early 1990s, a
trailer was acquired from another State agency, which provided the College an
instant plastics laboratory. Another modular office building of 1,460 GSF was
leased in October 2000 to provide additional office space.
The
branch campus in Willimantic received a major upgrade in July 1999 when the
College moved to the present location at 729 Main Street. The new facility
increased the College’s leased space there from 4,850 square feet to 11,001
square feet. The extra space has provided the branch campus with larger and
more modern classrooms, computer labs, a library, and offices.
During
the past ten years, there have been a number of capital projects at the
Danielson campus in response to changing program needs as well as enrollment
growth. In 1993, the maintenance building was expanded to add additional
garages and storage space. The main building was expanded in 1995 to relocate
the duplicating center and the maintenance staff and to provide the College
with a full-service bookstore for the first time.
Media
and audio/video storage space in the library was converted into a new Learning
Center in 1996. In 1998, a chemistry lab was converted into a more modern,
multifunctional science lab, incorporating the use of computer technology. Four
general-purpose classrooms were converted into a networking and troubleshooting
laboratory and three computer classrooms in January 2001.
The
College makes extensive and prudent use of its deferred maintenance funds. In
recent years, projects have included replacing motors and compressors in HVAC
units and repairing boilers, as well as a number of other minor capital
projects. These funds have also been used, as needed, to repaint areas and
replace carpeting, keeping the overall appearance of the building good.
Since
the main building was constructed, there have been several code update
projects, most notably modification of restrooms to comply with code changes.
In February 2000, the Office of Civil Rights conducted an extensive survey of
the College’s facilities as part of its overall Compliance Audit under
Federal regulations. The College received high marks for its accessibility and
code compliance as a result of this review.
Appraisal
The College has become a victim of its
success. Enrollment increases over the past five years have caused serious
overcrowding of the Danielson campus. A modular office building was recently
leased because there was no space to house new staff. Also, it is becoming
increasingly difficult to find classrooms during popular time slots. This year,
the Center for Community and Professional Learning was forced to lease off-site
locations because there were no rooms available on the Danielson campus. In
addition, use of the facility by community groups has been much more limited.
In recognition of this problem, an architectural firm and educational planner
were commissioned in 1998 to conduct a needs analysis and to develop a Facilities
Master Plan. Following interviews with all department heads, as well
as a series of four focus groups with area leaders including those in business
and industry and in education, the Facilities Master Plan was presented to the
Connecticut Community-Technical College Board of Trustees in June 1998. The
plan identified an immediate need for approximately 100,000 square feet of new
space to meet the College’s needs. The total cost calculated for new
construction, building alterations, and code updates was almost $27 million. In
August of that year, the Board voted to request $8.6 million from the State
legislature to be funded beginning in fiscal year 2003. The legislature should
be acting on this request by June 2001.
Most of the furniture and equipment in the
main building was purchased in 1983. Since this equipment is now over seventeen
years old, much of it needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, almost all of the
capital equipment dollars the College receives in bond funds each year are
needed to support the purchase of technology equipment. Academic computers need
to be replaced or upgraded every four to five years to accommodate current
software applications. This heavy financial commitment has made it almost
impossible to respond to the problem of aging furniture and equipment. There is
some hope, however, that the legislature may address this issue in the 2001
session. In the summer of 2000, the Office of Policy and Management surveyed
agencies for a list of equipment for replacement. The College requested over
$200,000 to replace existing equipment. Fortunately, the College was able to
replace its telephone systems at both campuses in fiscal year 2000. New phones
with voice mail provided a significant upgrade in communication capabilities.
The Danielson campus, despite its age, still
remains a very attractive campus. A very skilled and dedicated maintenance
staff supported by the judicious use of deferred maintenance funds has kept the
buildings and grounds in almost like new condition. There has been no increase
in staffing for the maintenance department since 1983, but as the College adds
more space and buildings, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain all
facilities at the current high standard.
The
new branch campus in Willimantic has made a dramatic improvement in space
there. It is more than two times the size of the old facility, providing more
classrooms, computer facilities, and offices. In addition, students now have a
bookstore, a library learning center, and study areas. The branch campus is now
downtown, in a more visible and accessible location. The number of students has
increased significantly (27% in headcount) since the move to this expanded
facility. Fortunately, additional space is available at this site to meet
future enrollment needs.
·
The expansion of the Danielson
campus, scheduled for design in 2003 and construction in 2004, will provide
much-needed additional space.
·
If enrollments continue to expand
in Willimantic, funding will be needed to lease the remaining vacant space in
the present building.
·
A schedule for systematically
replacing aging furniture and equipment will be developed and implemented.
·
Until the Danielson campus is
expanded, the use of satellite sites will be necessary and may need to be
increased.
·
Both campuses will continue to be
attractive and well-maintained facilities.
Documents
Campus Crime Reports
Community-Technical Colleges 1999-2004
Facilities and Capital Plan
Compliance Audit, Office of Civil Rights
Department of Education Campus Crime Survey
Facilities Master Plan
Floor plans, Danielson and Willimantic
Campuses
Lease for the Willimantic Center