Thanks to the COC Foundation capital campaign, the District’s family campaign, the bid savings we captured from our previous projects, and Measure M we’ve been able to reserve a majority of the estimated project costs. As you may have noticed, the new home of the Institute of Culinary Education will be located at the southeast corner of the Mentry Hall building. The building will house all of the kitchens ‐ instructional and teaching — that are needed, as well as seating for serving and other functions necessary for the program.
The concrete contractor completed the excavation of the footings that will make up the foundation of the building. They have also set the rebar and anchor bolts are in place. We began pumping the concrete on Wednesday December the 4th. Anyone who has been walking on or near the access road going up to the Mentry building probably saw one of the MANY concrete trucks going back and forth! The concrete will continue through Thursday December the 5th.
Once the concrete is complete, we can start to layout the future utility lines that will be stubbed up through the concrete floors. Also we are preparing for steel delivery by the end of the month or early January! This 12‐month project is expected to be completed during the Fall 2014 semester.
Comment from Murray Wood, Chief Development Officer, College of the Canyons:
Couple of news briefs:
1. The structural steel for the construction of the Culinary Arts Center will be delivered any day. Construction is still on time for late Fall 2014 completion.
2. The College of the Canyons Foundation will be honoring philanthropists Remo and Ami Belli with the Annual Silver Spur Award. Remo’s Paso Robles vineyard produces some of the finest and most sought after Zinfandels in CA. Over 100 of Remo’s prize vines were recently planted on the COC campus to be used in connection with our Wine Studies and Viticulture classes.
3. During April and May, Stanton Ho, award winning chocolate chef will be returning to the COC’s Institute for Culinary Education as a member of our faculty. While he will be teaching a courses on Chocolate, we are planning to present a Chocolate and Wine pairing event in May to raise funds for the new culinary facility. (Plans are still tentative.)