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Farewell to temporary buildings

Two temporary buildings that have served Chemeketa Community College well for more than three decades will be removed early this summer. College officials said there will be minimal disruption for students.

Buildings 17 and 18 were closed earlier in the school year after mold was discovered in one, and extensive water damage was found in the other. Both buildings were already used when they were acquired from Linn-Benton Community College in the early 1970s.

Removal of the buildings will begin following end of spring term in mid-June and be completed by July 24, said Jerry Vessello, Chemeketa's chief facilities officer.

"We will require that 75 percent of the buildings be recycled," Vessello said. "They may even be removed and relocated."

Three other nearby buildings are similarly built and still are being used. Vessello said the college hopes to preserve those buildings for a minimum of three years. Eventually, all five buildings (16, 17, 18, 19 and 20) with total space of 19,510 square feet will outlive their usefulness, Vessello said. The college's long-range facilities plan calls for these five buildings to be replaced by a 40,000-square-foot building for classrooms and academic partners.

In April an evaluation team from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities completed a thorough inspection of Chemeketa during its every-ten-year accreditation visit, and one of four commendations bestowed by the team was for the college's excellent stewardship of its physical resources.

"We are very proud of that recognition," Vessello said. "It's a tribute to the fine work being done every day by our maintenance and grounds staff. To be able to keep these temporary modular buildings usable for more than 30 years, I think, is nothing short of miraculous."

Updated October 2006 by the College Advancement Department.