Yuba College's Sutter campus on track

With nearly six weeks left before the fall semester starts, completion is nearing on Yuba College's Sutter County campus and classes are wide open for enrollment.

The $18 million campus off East Onstott Road north of Yuba City will open to students Aug. 13, three days after the planned completion. Crews are finishing flooring, wiring and other final components, with the expectation furniture will start arriving Monday.

"This will all look very different in the next few weeks," said Russ LaGrow, project manager for DPR Construction. "We still have a lot of finishes to do."

College officials hope that by that time, more students will have signed up for courses. Registration began in April, yet only five of the 80 offered classes are filled.

If not enough students enroll, some course offerings could be canceled, said college spokeswoman Miriam Root.

"We need to reach a certain level ... so that it's the best learning environment for the students and to make sure we cover all our costs," she said.

Course offerings include math, English, science, history, health, art, music, philosophy and yoga. No evening courses are yet offered, but the goal is to have some in the spring.

The college is basically self-operational, with a bookstore, registration, library, cafe and other services. Lecture rooms and classrooms are spread among two stories, as well as study rooms for students and offices for 55 full-time and adjunct faculty.

Interim executive Dean Brian Jukes has already met with high school counselors and administrators about courses available for students and said he hopes other community members will take advantage of the campus.

"The biggest fear I hear is it won't be ready in time, and it will be," he said. "I think this is really gonna be the beacon of Yuba College."

Interior walls and ceilings are nearly complete, and many classrooms already have whiteboards, TV mounts and audio systems.

Classrooms incorporate fold-down projector screens and wiring threaded through seating to power student computers.

"It's definitely pretty technologically forward," LaGrow said. "There's lots of places to plug in."

The college is aiming for a gold certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The building's construction includes such sustainable components as energy-efficient heating and air conditioning and natural lighting through skylights, large windows and ceiling-mounted reflectors. A planned field of solar panels will eventually provide a third of the campus' energy needs.

Funding for the Sutter County campus came from Measure J, a $180 million bond approved by voters in all eight counties of the college's jurisdiction in 2006.

Measure J's scope was pared when the economic downturn caused a decline in bonds the college district could sell and put some projects on hold, but ardent supporters for a Sutter County campus pushed the board to move forward.