News Release

CONTACT: Della Elliott, Public Information, (619) 644-7690, della.elliott@gcccd.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        January 13, 2006

Grossmont College to fete completion of new entrance road Jan. 18

EL CAJON – – A ribbon-cutting on the fly will be part of the celebration Wednesday to mark the official opening of Grossmont College’s new entrance road, a $3 million project that makes driving on and off campus safer and easier.

A mini-procession of electric carts carrying college and district officials, student representatives and others will drive through a ceremonial ribbon, then traverse the new stretch of road at the college entrance between Highwood Drive and State Route 125. The 11:30 a.m. ceremony is open to the public and will conclude with free refreshments.

“This new road is significant because it will mean better traffic flow on and off the college, including from Highwood to SR125,” said Chancellor Omero Suarez. “It also mitigates a longstanding safety problem of inadequate access for emergency vehicles. The project’s goal has been to solve traffic and safety problems stemming from having a perimeter road that, until now, took you only partially around the campus. The safety hazards have been remedied with the addition of the continuous road, the road widenings at the entrances and the two new traffic signals.”

Wednesday’s event comes less than a week from the start of the new spring semester, when students will be returning to see an expansive stretch of road that since the start of construction last summer has been an ever-shifting labyrinth of detour lanes and orange traffic cones.

“With the completion of this project, students will see a campus entranceway that, from a visual standpoint, makes a much stronger statement,” said Dr. Dean Colli, acting college president “It’s a dramatic change and an exciting precursor to the new facilities currently under construction.”

The projects include a new science lab facility, and a two-building digital arts and sculpture complex, all funded by a mix of state funds and Prop. R monies – local funding made possible by the passage in 2002 of a construction bond measure strongly backed by East County voters to improve both Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges.

Governing Board President Deanna Weeks said the entrance road improvements represent a joint effort on the part of the college, the district, community groups including the San Carlos Area Council and Navajo Planners, in addition to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), which provided a critical 3.5-acre parcel of land to the college district at no cost that made the road expansion possible.

“It was a cohesive partnership, through and through,” Weeks said. “The willingness of all parties to work together was key to making the project a reality.”
The project was funded by $1.4 million in state bond funds and $1.7 million in local Prop. R monies. Grossmont College is located at 8800 Grossmont College Drive in El Cajon. Campus and driving maps are available at www.grossmont.edu.

  # # #

Intergovernmental Relations, Economic Development, and Public Information
8800 Grossmont College Drive  El Cajon, CA 92020-1799
Phone 619-644-7573 Fax 619-644-7924