Back to school

Lured by the crane, I spent some time on campus. It was amazing to see just how much construction is going on right now. Cañada College was built in 1968, and given the uniformity and style of the campus buildings, I’m not sure that much has been built since then. Not until 2010, at least, when Cañada Vista, a 60-unit apartment complex for faculty and staff, was built on an outlying parking lot. Cañada Vista was an answer to the region’s high housing prices, which were making it hard for the San Mateo County Community College District to recruit and retain teachers and staff. Thus, the apartments at Cañada Vista, which are for those making 60 percent of the area median income, and lease for an amount well below current market rates.

Cañada Vista is only 8 years old, so I was surprised to see that it is undergoing construction. I initially assumed that it was being expanded, but it turns out that the units may simply be getting new roofs.

The crane isn’t there for roof replacement project, though. It is being used for something much more substantial: the construction of a massive new science and technology building at the north end of the Cañada College campus. This three-story, 50,000-square-foot building will have classrooms, labs and offices for Cañada College’s science, mathematics and technology programs. The steel framing for this building appears nearly complete. The plan is to complete this building by December, but it appears that it will take a bit longer than that.

Strolling through the well-manicured campus, I couldn’t help but notice that the rather substantial library building is also getting a facelift of some sort. The western face of the building is entirely behind construction fabric, hiding the nature of the construction going on beneath. The library is still open, however, so that particular project doesn’t appear to be structural in nature.

As if adding a 50,000-square-foot science and technology building isn’t enough, simultaneously a separate contractor is working at the southern end of the main campus, erecting an even larger, 85,000-square-foot building to house Cañada College’s athletics, kinesiology and dance department.

The site has been fenced and graded but, unlike the science and technology building, this one doesn’t even have a foundation yet. It isn’t slated to be completed until fall 2021, however, so it may still be on schedule.

From the renderings I can see that the kinesiology and wellness building will be an ultra-modern, two-story structure with rooftop facilities. It appears that the building will have glass curtain walls and an undulating metal screen over the rooftop workout and dance spaces. The building will sport a gym for volleyball and basketball classes, and for intercollegiate athletic events. Naturally, it will also include classrooms, offices, a large area for fitness equipment, and locker and shower facilities. And adjacent to it there will be an instructional aquatics pool and a competition pool.

For those of us who are not Cañada students, it appears that members of the public will be able to purchase a membership, thereby gaining access to the pools, classrooms and fitness equipment.

I’m pleased to see Cañada College doing so well. When I attended, it felt more like an extension of high school, but today the student population is more mature, with only about half of the school’s 6,200 students seeking a degree. Thus, folks like me who just want to take a class or two should fit right in. All of which has me thinking: perhaps it is time for me to go back and take another class or two. After all, taking a class is a great way to do something out of the ordinary, while at the same time improving myself.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.