COSTA MESA : OCC Student Center Will Be Renovated

The Student Center at Orange Coast College will get a $2.5-million overhaul beginning this month.

The 40-year-old building, designed for 1,500 students, has gone through many transformations during the past few decades, as the college’s population continued to climb. Even so, it is not able to meet the needs of the 28,000 students who go to OCC, college officials say.

“The building’s infrastructure had been stretched far beyond its functional limits,” said Sharon K. Donoff, vice president of student services, who is directing the fund-raising campaign. “It has become increasingly costly to maintain the facility.”

Original groundbreaking for the center was held in 1952. The 15,000-square-foot structure was completed the next year for just under $300,000.

To help defray the costs, OCC students have been making donations to the project for the past 15 years. During that time, $1.3 million has been banked for the renovation. Another fund-raising drive is now underway to raise additional funds.

Nothing will go untouched during the eight-month project.

The dining area will be overhauled to eliminate the 1950s “mess hall” look, restrooms will be added along with new heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The kitchen and bakery will be modernized and the student-managed clothing store will be redesigned during the renovation.

Along with donating money, students have been involved in the planning and design of the new center. Kirsten Garwood, an architectural design major, drew the final rendering of the facility.

The center is scheduled to reopen in the spring of 1993.