SOLEDAD — Hartnell College is coming to Soledad and will have a parcel of land to build the Soledad Outreach Educational Facility.
Last Wednesday, Sept. 26, officials from Hartnell spoke with a group of 30 Soledad community members about the upcoming construction of the new education destination.
“Part of the vision brought about was not just to build a bunch of new facilities and not just do a bunch of work at the main campus, but let’s take some education out to the communities,” said Superintendent/President Willard Lewallen. “We know that transportation is still a problem.”
The groundbreaking of the new Soledad Education Center will occur in fall 2019. In Studio Architecture out of Salinas has developed plans for the new education facility.
“We’re happy to be part of this project in our backyard,” said Alex Reynoso, architect. “When we are given new projects we like to listen to folks that are feeding us the information. We always look around at our surroundings and take in some of the views.”
In Studio Architecture took inspiration for the roof and ceiling layout of the education center from Pinnacles National Park.
The site of the Soledad Outreach Educational Facility is about eight acres on Metz Road between San Vicente Elementary and the local cemetery.
The first phase of the facility is 3.4 acres of the entire site and includes an area for parking, a courtyard and the Hartnell Education Center. There would be a future building area on the same site and an area on the back 4.4 acres designated for play fields.
One unique feature of the Center is that the entry would face away from Metz Road and a solar PV panel is planned for the building as well.
Within the Hartnell Ed Center buildings, there will be rooms for laboratory courses, a Student Center, offices for instructors when they are not in class, a community room, classroom buildings and restrooms.
Hartnell College is expecting students will be able to attend the campus in 2020.
