At the Southeast Center, being successfully completed by OWCB (including a successful parternship between Walsh Construction Co., O’Neill Electric and Inline Construction) the new Student Commons building opened this week. The campus also is gaining a new library and a major remodel of the historic 1911 German-American Society building. The $36 million project is doubling the size of the Southeast Center and is expected to serve as a catalyst for economic development in Southeast Portland.
“It is the college’s desire to serve the community in a way it has never been served before,” Whitehill-Baziuk said. “This will create a sense of place along 82nd Avenue.”
The three-story Student Commons building will provide space for students to register for classes, complete their financial aid documents, pay their bills and prepare for testing. The second floor has six classrooms and five science labs, which will allow the campus to integrate PCC’s new emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math, Whitehill-Baziuk said.
A new pedestrian mall on 82nd Avenue will create a more inviting campus area for the community with three leased retail spaces situated on the east side of the Student Commons building, Whitehill-Baziuk said. An expanded bookstore will open in February in the Student Commons building, and a new library is slated to open in April.
“What makes this expansion important is making the campus a full comprehensive campus,” she said. “In the past, students have had to go to the Sylvania campus or Cascade (campus) to get some of these classes and services.”