A new shop for automotive maintenance and repair classes may be going up on the campus of Santa Fe Community College, reflecting the two-year school’s need to accommodate one of its most popular programs.
Funding for the project will come from a $17 million general obligation bond that voters will decide on in upcoming city elections scheduled for the first week of February.
If successful, the school, located at 6401 Richards Avenue on the southwest side of the city, also hopes to see the upgrading of its greenhouse technology classrooms, as well as renovations to the William C. Witter Fitness Center.
The last time the community college asked local voters for support was in 2010 when a $35 million bond targeting the construction of the school’s new Higher Education Center, as well as general campus facility upgrades, was approved.
The 34,000 square foot education center was completed in early 2015.
SFCC’s automotive program currently operates out of a 2,000 square-foot garage that, according to school officials, is not up to National Automotive Technician’s Education Foundation standards.
The new automotive shop will measure 17,000 square feet, housing classrooms, as well as a customized training center. The structure will include an EPA approved-building exhaust system and special thick concrete slabs to support heavy equipment.
If the bond passes, work at the Witter Fitness Center will include new gym seating and flooring, an upgrade of power and utility equipment, an exterior and interior facelift, and repairs to the facility’s two swimming pools.
by Garry Boulard
