What’s that being built off Highway 1? New Cuesta College building taking shape
Work to build a massive new campus center at Cuesta College of Highway 1 is nearly halfway complete.
Vice president of Administrative Services Dan Troy said the new building will combine activities from two existing campus buildings — the administrative offices and the student center. The latter is currently located in the middle of the campus.
“This building is meant to be a one-stop-shop for student services,” Troy said. “Right now, one of the flaws of our campus is that we do not have an obvious place for new students to start.”
What is that in SLO County?
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After breaking ground in November, Troy said the main infrastructure of the building has already been built and that now Wysong Construction — which is based in Atascadero — is working on creating the inside of the building and will soon be adding finishing touches to the roof.
“It’s a really exciting project for Cuesta,” Troy said. “It really establishes a front door for the campus and a main hub for students to find their classes and get counseling advice. It will also be a hangout spot since there will be a cafe. It will help re-center student services at the college.”
The bottom floor of the building will include student and veteran services with the second floor boasting new administrative offices and a new conference room for the college’s Board of Trustees.
The building was just one of the projects the university plans to tackle with funding from a $275 million bond the college received with the passage of Measure L, a law that allowed tax dollars to be dedicated toward community projects, in 2014.
The bond included funding for the college to be used over 12 years.
So far, Troy said the new student center has remained on track with its estimated budget.
It is expected to cost the college roughly $49 million, with $37 million going toward construction costs. The rest, Troy said, will be used to pay for “soft costs” like experts to refine the design and feel of the building.
Troy said the new building is expected to open in the spring of 2025 and will start providing services to students that summer.
