After a hard-fought campaign, Santa Barbara City College is moving forward with the first of its new construction projects funded by the voter-approved Measure P bonds.
On April 17, the SBCC Board of Trustees voted to build a new Physical Education building and demolish the current facility in a 5-1 vote, with one member absent.
SBCC President Erika Endrijonas said she was excited that the project is moving forward.
“It feels great because that June 2025 date to encumber the funds in order to move forward has loomed large over my head since I started on August 1, 2023,” Endrijonas said. “So, I’m very happy to be at the point where we are meeting the deadlines and we can move forward on this important building.”
The total cost of the new building is expected to be $105 million, with $71 million coming from the Measure P bond extension that was approved by voters in November 2024. The additional $34 million will be provided through state funds.
The new building will be built in the same location at the Cliff Drive East Campus.
Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2025 and will end in spring 2028.
This project is first because of that June deadline to use state matching funds, SBCC Board President Jonathan Abboud said in a statement.
“This is money we do not want to lose,” he said. “Another $71 million from the bond, 36%, would go towards this project’s estimated $105 million total cost.”
The future building will be four stories tall and 77,187 square feet. The facility will feature an NCAA gymnasium, multi-disciplinary classrooms, dance and exercise rooms, a fitness center, and employee offices.
During construction, classes and other programs that were held in the physical education building will be moved to other locations. The fitness center in the building will be moved to the basement of the campus bookstore, and other classrooms will be outfitted with mirrors for dance classes, according to SBCC.
The new building can also be used as a community emergency recovery center, SBCC officials said.
Contractors have already begun testing for hazardous materials in the building ahead of demolition. Endrijonas also said they are testing the soil to assess the stability due to the site’s proximity to the ocean.
Looking ahead, Endrijonas says that the next project funded with Measure P money depends on how many bonds SBCC sells in the future and what kind of state funding it receives.
However, she said repaving roads through the West Campus, the Wake Campus, and the Schott Campus will likely be a high priority due to the status of the pavement.
She added that the campus will likely pursue lighting projects after that.
During the Board of Trustees meeting to discuss moving forward with the plans, board member Marsha Croninger pressed Endrijonas over the possibility of construction going over budget and the approval process for change orders. Croninger, who was a vocal opponent of Measure P, was the lone vote against the project.
Endrijonas, who has overseen bonds and construction at Los Angeles Valley College and Pasadena College, stood firm and said she has experience guiding these kinds of projects.
Even though the board decided to approve construction, the trustees and Endrijonas agreed that the president would keep them updated on any unexpected costs in her weekly updates.
“I want to emphasize that everything that we’re doing is going to see the light of day,” Endrijonas said. “We have a Citizens Bond Oversight Committee that will be meeting on a quarterly basis. We will be reporting out to them. We have a web page, and we are an open book.
“And I just want to make sure the community knows that we are keeping their interests in mind and doing the best and the most responsible thing we can with the trust that they’ve given us in passing the bond.”
Now that the Board of Trustees has approved construction, the plan will move to the California Coastal Commission for review.
The commission will be meeting on May 7 through May 9 in Half Moon Bay, and the agenda can be viewed on the agency’s website.
