The Technical Education area at American River College is currently under construction and is surrounded by fencing. Demolition has started and the project is scheduled to be done by fall 2024. 

According to Scott Crow, ARC’s public information officer, workers will demolish everything in the Technical Education area besides the automotive and welding buildings. 

“Those facilities are going to stay up and running while they are demolishing and building the new building,” Crow said. “Once the new building is built, they are going to move automotive and welding into the new building and then demolish automotive and welding.” 

Crow says that to his knowledge, the horticulture department isn’t impacted and there are no changes there.

According to Crow, many classes impacted by the construction have moved to a variety of locations. 

“A lot of those were moved to the Technical Education West portables, because some of the classes that were there have moved to the STEM building,” Crow said. 

According to Crow, the construction is for a two-story, 61,000 square foot building that will be the new home of many programs. 

“[The building will house] automotive, electronics, electrician trainee, energy, design and engineering technology, funeral services and welding,” Crow said in an email to the Current. 

State funds and bond funds will provide the basics, but a fundraising campaign would provide extra resources, according to Crow. 

“The idea is, through this philanthropic campaign, is to support those programs with additional equipment,” Crow said. “That’s kind of what we did with the STEM building.”  

According to Crow, ARC is one of only two community colleges in the state that has a funeral services education program, and it’s going to get a special space in the new building. 

Crow says there is also a new building set to be built at the Natomas Center. 

“That is going to be started in January 2023, and is estimated to be an 18 month project,” Crow said. “Both of these projects should be wrapped up around the same time, it just depends on how construction goes.” 

According to Crow, some of the parking near the Technical Education area is being used by the construction crew and equipment, but that is the only area that is impacted by the construction. 

Wayfind, a virtual map of the ARC campus, can help students and staff navigate the campus and see where any construction is taking place. 

The map also has a starting and ending location box that can be filled out, and will show a line from the starting location to the final destination.