Tag: Campus Improvements

Sierra College Enters Land Purchase Agreement to Construct New Regional Public Safety Training Center

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New 50-acre Facility in Western Placer County Will Feature Training Grounds, Props and Simulated Spaces to Support Real-world Training by Students, Regional Police and Fire Agencies

Sierra College today announced an agreement to acquire a 50-acre site from the Western Placer Waste Management Authority (WPWMA) for the design and construction of a new Regional Public Safety Training Center to meet the growing demand for highly skilled first responders and public safety professionals.

“Skills training in public safety is crucial, not just for students preparing to enter the profession but also among our professional police and fire agencies that must meet ongoing training requirements,” said Sierra College President/Superintendent Willy Duncan on behalf of the college and more than a dozen regional public safety partners pushing for the new center. “The lack of a local, fully equipped regional training center has been a stumbling block to training future public safety professionals in our region in the sort of simulated environments they work in daily. Sierra College is proud to partner with the public safety community to advance this locally owned and operated training facility to make our communities that much safer.”

Under the land purchase agreement between Sierra College and WPWMA, the college will purchase 50 acres of land northwest of Fiddyment Road and West Sunset Boulevard in the Sunset Area of unincorporated Placer County. The 50 acres would be subdivided from a larger, 154-acre WPWMA-owned parcel that is currently undeveloped and planned for future complementary and programmatic elements. Under the agreement, Sierra College will have two years to conduct environmental review and identify the precise location for siting the Training Center. The purchase price is $1.1 million.

The agreement was approved by the Sierra College Community College District Board of Trustees on Tuesday, Feb. 11 and by the WPWMA Board of Directors on Thursday, Feb. 13. 

The land purchase is the latest milestone in an effort launched by Sierra College in 2021 to partner with Placer County, Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Placer County Fire Department, the FBI, fire and police departments representing Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, and Auburn, and education partners such as Sacramento State to tackle the greatest public safety training needs experienced in Placer County and beyond. Based on these consultations, early designs for the Regional Public Safety Training Facility include an emergency driving course, training tower, simulated tactical village, training props, shooting ranges, indoor training spaces, and a large paved area for maneuvers (i.e., grind pad). The facility will also include classrooms and is envisioned to support both fire and police academies in the future.

Sierra College currently offers degrees, certificates and skills certificates in Fire Technology, including a Firefighter 1 and 2 Academy, an Administration of Justice program that includes two levels of police academy training, and a Emergency Medical Technician program.

Partial funding for the Regional Public Safety Training will come from Measure E, the $350 million Sierra College facilities bond approved by voters in 2018. The partners intend to work together to identify additional funding sources.  

What This Means to Our Partners in Their Own Words

Placer County

  • “We all recognize the need to scale to match future growth and maintain high-quality community service,” said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo. “This facility will help us accelerate hiring of future workers and keep our workforce trained with the latest skills without the added cost and time of sending our personnel out of the area for training. Placer County is excited for this partnership with Sierra College and our public safety partners.” 
  • “Placer safety agencies work exceptionally well together and this regional training center is a tremendous opportunity to enhance our collective effectiveness for the community,” said Placer County Fire Department Chief Brian Estes. “Joint training among local agencies and among fire and police is the future of public safety response. This facility will give us the opportunity to be on the cutting edge by continually training together across agencies to maintain the best possible service to the community.”
  • “The vision for a Regional Public Safety Training Center has been the epitome of collaboration between Sierra College and all the public safety agencies, both law and fire, in western Placer County,” said Placer County Executive Officer Daniel Chatigny. “Placer County is proud to be a partner in this much needed and strategic vision.”

Roseville

  • “Our public safety workforce is a combination of hiring workers from out of the area agencies who want to move to Placer County combined with newly hired staff from the local area,” said Roseville Police Chief Troy Bergstrom. “The common need across our workforce is we struggle to find a place for them to receive training both as newly hired staffing needing academy training or for the large amount of in-service training required for our officers and professional staff. A modern training facility in our county will allow us to train our own workforce here to keep up with our training needs and be able to maintain the high level of expertise required of our regional public safety workers.”
  • “Demand for training is sky-high and beyond our current facilities,” said Roseville Fire Chief Ryan Harrigan. “We see intense demand to use Roseville’s fire training center for firefighter academies, continuing education, and in-service training for our personnel and public safety partners. We look forward to further collaboration to design a bigger, more comprehensive training site that can better meet our regional training needs.”

Lincoln

  • “For smaller agencies, it’s difficult to find the time and funding for training, even though our needs are the same as large agencies,” said Lincoln Public Safety Chief Matt Alves. “Having a facility in our backyard will save local taxpayers money because we can share resources with our partners, as well as save on travel and personnel costs because we won’t need to travel out of area.”

Rocklin

  • “Right now, agencies are stringing together their training programs on an ad hoc basis around the community wherever we can find space,” said Rocklin Police Chief Rustin Banks. “We are trying to train on emergency driving maneuvers in empty parking lots. This is an incredible opportunity to design a first-class, comprehensive training facility from the ground up so that we can continue to deliver first-class service to the community.”
  • “Public safety professions are evolving rapidly, with increasing demands for training to keep pace with changing laws, technology and community expectations,” said Rocklin Fire Chief Reginald Williams. “We are excited to be partnering on a regional-scale facility that keeps our personnel up-to-date on these changes for their safety and the safety of our community.”     

About Sierra College

Sierra College District is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3,200 square miles of Northern California with campuses in Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu.

Sierra College Community Packs in for Sneak Peek of New, State-of-the-Art Gym

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The 81,000 Square Foot Facility Includes Competition, Training and Classroom Spaces

Hundreds of Sierra College students, employees and community supporters gathered to celebrate the first sports competitions held at the college’s new, state-of-the-art gymnasium on the Rocklin campus. The “Pack the Gym” event on Tuesday, Feb. 11 offered a sneak peek of the major modernization and expansion project. It includes new competition spaces, teaching classrooms, training and locker rooms. The event was capped off by the Sierra College women’s and men’s Wolverine basketball teams squaring off against the Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cubs – the first home games played by Sierra College at the Rocklin campus in two years.

“The new gym is a great example of how we’re transforming the experience on our Rocklin campus for students and the community,” said Sierra College President/Superintendent Willy Duncan. “Sierra College is on the rise and the level of investment and projects happening here is unprecedented since the college was first constructed 60 years ago. We are thrilled for our students and employees who will train, compete, learn and work in a more modern gym facility, as well as all students, employees and community members who come out to support our athletics programs.” 

The original Sierra College gym was constructed in the 1960s during initial development of the Rocklin campus. As part of the modernization and expansion project, the old gym has been turned into offices, classrooms, a cardio/weight room and a wrestling room. The newly constructed space includes the new competition gym with expanded stadium seating and the ability to divide the court into smaller courts for practice/volleyball games, new athlete locker rooms (in addition to separate PE and staff locker rooms), additional classrooms and a foyer which provides the perfect gathering space for students and student athletes. The new facility totals approximately 81,000 square feet (SF), which is made up of 34,000 SF of renovated space and 47,000 SF of new construction.

“To be able to be in our own home just really instills a sense of pride for our community here at the college,” said Sierra College Women’s Basketball Head Coach Brandie Murrish. “I’m so grateful to our Board of Trustees for being able to give our student athletes and all our students the opportunity to enjoy this facility. I foresee thousands of community members coming through this gym for decades to come.”

In addition to volleyball, basketball, wrestling and other sporting competitions, it will house the kinesiology and physical education classes for the Rocklin campus. The new gymnasium complex also connects seamlessly with the existing pool complex, football stadium, and newly renovated competition sand volleyball courts.

The gym is one of several modernization projects underway at the Rocklin campus.

The Applied Technology Center and the Student Union/Campus Center, also built in the 1960s, are scheduled for renovation, as well. The gymnasium project, along with the other new construction and renovation projects included in the Rocklin Facilities Master Plan Implementation will create an updated, modern, functional and attractive campus for our students and the community to enjoy now and into the future.

Many of the Rocklin campus projects are supported by the Measure E bond approved by voters in 2018. However, no Measure E funds were utilized for the gym modernization and expansion. The $59 million gym project was funded through a combination of $32.4 million from the State of California (through the California Community College Capital Outlay Program) and $26.6 million in direct funding from Sierra College.

Photos from the event are available here: Sneak Peek at the NEW GYM! Feb 11, 2025 | Flickr

More about the long-term facilities master plan for the Rocklin campus can be found at: https://www.sierracollege.edu/improvements

Sneak Peek Police
Sneak Peek Event M Bball

About Sierra College

Sierra College District is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3,200 square miles of Northern California with campuses in Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu.  

Sierra College Welcomes Students, Community Members for Grand Opening

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Celebration of New Instructional Building and Start of Fall 2023 Semester

Fall 2023 semester instruction at Sierra College began on August 21 with increased enrollment and a new instructional building, Building Q, made possible by the community’s support for Measure E. 

The students were the first priority in the new building when the fall semester began on August 21 and on September 19, Sierra College welcomed community leaders for a tour of the 77,000 square foot building with classrooms, art studios, student collaborative spaces, and an easy to access location on the Rocklin campus. 

“The new instructional building is an inviting space intentionally designed to enhance learning and increase student connections,” said Willy Duncan, Sierra College Superintendent/President.  “With classrooms built to be both user-friendly and flexible, this building will serve our students for the next 50 years. Thanks to the support of our community, our students are benefiting from incredible updates to our campus.”

Facts About the Q Building

  • With approximately 36 classrooms, including four art labs, the Q Building can accommodate more than 1,000 students  
  • Designed to house about 60 percent of the classes offered on the Rocklin campus 
  • Inviting common spaces encourage students to connect and remain on campus 
  • New technology to improve the experience for the increased number of online students 
  • Classroom and lab spaces built to state standards, which will help the district remain competitive for state funding of future construction projects

The Q Building is the second to be completed through the community supported Measure E bond, the first being the new parking garage, completed in 2021. Information on the new instructional building and other ongoing construction projects at Sierra College is available at www.sierracollege.edu/improvements.

Sierra College Completes Planned Sale of $63M in Measure E General Obligation Bonds

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More Than Two Thirds of $350M Approved by Voters Has Been Sold to Fund Campus Improvements

Sierra College, the District, announced that on June 8, 2023, the District sold $63 million of the $350 million Measure E General Obligation Bonds approved by registered voters in 2018. To date, the District has issued $240 million of the Measure E Bonds and has $110 million in authorization remaining for future construction projects at the Rocklin Campus. This is the third of five planned sales of Measure E General Obligation Bonds. 

The Bonds were sold at a true interest cost of 3.90%, which was below the pre-pricing estimate of 3.95%. The District leveraged its exclusive “AAA” credit rating by Moody’s Investors Service to generate orders from thirty-seven bond accounts consisting of bond investors and money managers such as PIMCO, American Century, Merrill Lynch, and Blackrock. At the close of the order period, the District received a total of $277 million in orders for $63 million bonds. Strong demand for the District’s Bonds enabled the District to save approximately $620,000 in interest costs compared to the pre-sale pricing estimate. 

“The success of the most recent bond sale is a testament to the diligent work being done by the Sierra College administration, staff, and Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee,” said Paul Bancroft, Sierra College Board of Trustees President. “Through planning and execution, the District has achieved a credit rating on par with the United States government, creating significant cost savings.” 

Measure E Funds have been used to improve the Rocklin campus, with completed projects including campus-wide infrastructure improvements, campus center renovations, a new parking facility, and a near-complete 77,000 square foot instructional building scheduled to open this fall. Additional upcoming Measure E-funded projects include a new 65,000 square foot science building, and modernization of the Applied Technology Center to create a vocational technology learning hub on the Rocklin campus. 

Information on construction projects at Sierra College, including live construction cams, as well as the Facilities Master Plan, is available at www.SierraCollege.edu/Improvements. 

Registration at Sierra College is open for Fall 2023. More information on affordable, convenient, and relevant education is available at www.SierraCollege.edu/YouCan. 

About Measure E 

The majority of Sierra College’s Rocklin campus facilities and infrastructure was constructed in the 1960s. Although the college has done an excellent job of maintaining these facilities, many of our buildings and infrastructure systems are now well beyond their useful life and in need of major renovation or replacement. In 2017, the college updated its Facilities Master Plan, establishing a long-term vision for the Rocklin campus and, in June 2018, the community approved Measure E to fund the implementation of the first phase of this Master Plan. More information is at www.SierraCollege.edu/Bond. 

About Sierra College 

Sierra College District is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3,200 square miles of Northern California with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information is at www.SierraCollege.edu.  

Sierra College Breaks Ground on Affordable Student Housing with Support from the State of California and Local Donors

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Sierra College broke ground today on a campus-changing student housing complex that when completed will provide housing for more than 350 students. Construction of the student housing project is made possible through funding from the State of California and Sierra College general funds. Through careful planning, the monthly rent for most students will be substantially below market rate for the area. Additionally, with investments from members of the community, the cost of housing for students with the greatest need will be significantly decreased, in some cases down to no cost to the student. With the beginning of construction, substantial completion is scheduled for Summer 2025 and expected occupancy for the Fall 2025 semester. 

“Housing is one of the biggest barriers for many students to attend and be successful in college,” said Willy Duncan, Sierra College’s Superintendent/President. “I am excited that the State of California has chosen to invest in housing for community colleges, and that Sierra College will soon be able to provide housing for more than 350 students at rents far below the expensive local market rate. Our generous donors providing investments to further reduce the cost for students with the greatest need will be impactful. This project is more than just a building. It will change our students’ lives.” 

The project is supported by $82 million from the State of California’s Affordable Student Housing grant program. Due to this state funding, the District will be able to charge affordable rents at rates of nearly half the local market rate. The ceremony was attended by Acting Governor, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis who also serves as a member of the California State University Board of Trustees. 

“California’s Community Colleges pave the pathway for millions of Californians to achieve the California dream, but a lack of access to affordable student housing leaves too many students behind,” said Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis. “Thanks to projects like this one at Sierra College, more California students will be able to focus on their education and not worry about where they are going to sleep at night. I’m deeply proud of our state’s historic commitment to supporting the total cost of college attendance for students and ensuring every Californian has a shot at achieving the California dream.”

Sierra College Student Housing Facts: 

  • Current available student housing beds: 120
  • Total number of beds when complete: 358 
  • Square feet: Approximately 124,000 
  • Construction budget: $98.3m 

The new student housing at Sierra College will be a central part of the Rocklin campus, adjacent to the Student Union and Library/Learning Resource Center. In addition to housing, the building will include student support services to increase student success.

The cost to students for residence in the new student housing will be approximately $450 per month. Additionally, with the generous investments of community partners who have participated in the Sierra College Foundation’s Endow-a-Bed program, some beds will be offered at zero cost to qualifying students.

Initial community supporters of this project through the Endow-a-Bed program include: 

“We know that housing and transportation are significant insecurities for many people, including college students, and with this endowment to Sierra College, one student for a year will not have to have worry about where they’re going to be able to sleep and the food they eat,” said Dr. Peter Hull, M.D. Interim CEO and Chief Medical Executive, Sutter Roseville Medical Center. “That’s a tremendous benefit and we’re very pleased to be able to offer that to Sierra College students.” 

“When my father and I decided to open a restaurant together, I went to Sierra College and took an English as a second language class, and the teacher there told me it’s never too late to learn,” said Taro Arai, Mikuni Charitable Organization, Chief Dreaming Officer. “That teacher at Sierra College was right, and since then we’ve been growing and remembering to give back to our community.”

According to ASSC, “Housing insecurity is a real challenge faced by many past, current, and prospective Sierra College students. Through the sponsorship of this endowment of a bed at the dorm, ASSC aims to demonstrate its commitment to providing the resources, services, and support necessary to all students, regardless of their backgrounds, circumstances, and/or financial aid status.” 

About the Sierra College Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Sierra College Foundation (SCF) raises money from private donors to support students, college programs, and the future of Sierra College. SCF does this through events such as Taste of Excellence, the Sierra College Athletics Golf Tournament, grant funding, private donations, corporate donations and planned giving. SCF has grown along with the college and encourages gifts to support students, enhance college programs, faculty support, and facility improvements to ensure student success.

Sierra College Foundation is independently audited and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, most of whom live and work in the communities served by the Sierra Joint Community College District of Placer, Nevada, and parts of Sacramento and El Dorado Counties. For more information about Sierra College Foundation and how to give, visit: www.sierracollege.edu/foundation

About Sierra College

Sierra College District is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3,200 square miles of Northern California with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu.

Sierra College’s New Instructional Building Progresses in 2022 with Ceremonial Beam Signing

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Modern and Comfortable Classrooms Made Possible by Measure E

On Tuesday, January 18, Sierra College held a ceremonial beam signing for its New Instructional Building, which broke ground last fall on the Rocklin campus. This new three-story classroom building, scheduled to open in Fall 2023, will replace and consolidate classes from several smaller inefficient buildings into one larger efficient building with modern and comfortable classrooms and gathering places.

Sierra College President/Superintendent Willy Duncan, together with Sierra College Board of Trustees President Carol Garcia and Board of Trustees members Bob Romness and Scott Leslie, welcomed the campus community to join them in signing the beam. The beam will be placed in the building’s framework later this year.

When complete, the New Instructional Building will provide approximately 75,000 gross square feet of classrooms, teaching laboratories, and office space.

The new building will be located directly north of Weaver Hall and west of the new parking garage on the northern edge of the Rocklin campus.

This project is funded by Measure E, which was approved by voters in 2018. Measure E is a demonstration in the vote of confidence in the future of the community, and the future of Sierra College. Sierra College is using the funds provided with Measure E as a base and, along with state facilities bond funds, and other funds from our strong fiscal management updating our campus with new facilities to keep pace with the workforce training and education needs of our community.

Sierra College improvement projects made possible by Measure E include the recently completed Parking Garage with 1,501 parking spaces, and the Student Union Kitchen Renovation.

Other current projects include campus wide infrastructure improvement upsizing or replacement of utility and technology services to all existing and new buildings, and the Applied Technology Center Modernization which will update and connect the current Automotive Technology and Woods/Metals Technology instructional buildings, which were built in the 1960s, creating a vocational technology hub on the Rocklin campus.

Information on this and other construction projects at Sierra College is available at www.sierracollege.edu/improvements

Sierra College Earns Upgraded Aaa Rating for Bond Issuance

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Sierra College has announced that its issuance rating for the second series of Measure E bonds has been upgraded by Moody’s to Aaa from Aa1. The Aaa rating is rare for a community college.

“Only a handful of community college districts have achieved that rating,” noted Sierra College Superintendent/President Willy Duncan. “It signifies that the District is one of the safest investments on the market. Overall, it reflects the ongoing commitment of the Board of Trustees to the fiscal health of the District.”

As rationale for the upgrade, Moody’s noted the District’s solid financial performance, conservative fiscal practices, and projected future increases in assessed value (AV). Due largely to the upgraded credit rating, the District also refinanced general obligation bonds for School Facilities Improvement District No. 1 (Tahoe-Truckee Campus), and School Facilities Improvement District No. 2 (Nevada County Campus) for a combined taxpayer savings exceeding $1,850,000.

“We are very proud of achieving the highest bond rating, and we would like to commend the District staff for their fastidious efforts managing not only the Measure E funds, but the general purpose funds that support the operations of the college,” said Carol Chilton Garcia, Sierra College Board of Trustees President. “I would also like to recognize the community members on the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee for volunteering their time to provide oversight and review of the Measure E projects. Their contribution has been essential to this process.”

Proceeds from the bond sale will fund the next phase of Facilities Master Plan projects on the Rocklin campus including a new 77,000 square foot instructional building and a new science facility. The first phase consisted of campus-wide infrastructure improvements, a campus center renovation, and a new parking facility.

“The Measure E construction program is making significant improvements to the Rocklin campus that will benefit students and the community for generations to come,” added President Duncan.

About Measure E

The majority of Sierra College’s Rocklin campus facilities and infrastructure was constructed in the 1960s. Although the college has done an excellent job of maintaining these facilities, many of our buildings and infrastructure systems are now well beyond their useful life and in need of major renovation or replacement. In 2017, the college updated its Facilities Master Plan, establishing a long-term vision for the Rocklin campus and, in June 2018, the community approved Measure E to fund the implementation of the first phase of this Master Plan. More information at www.sierracollege.edu/bond

About Sierra College

The Sierra Joint Community College District is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3,200 square miles of Northern CA with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills.  Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu