PJC is forging ahead with South Santa Rosa Center

Pensacola Junior College is forging ahead with its long-range plans for a multi-million dollar expansion that rivals the latest in green construction. For the project’s initial phase, PJC has hired architectural firm Bullock Tice Associates Inc.

The college is building its South Santa Rosa Center on110 acres in the south end of Santa Rosa County off U.S. 98.

Projected construction of the primary building will begin in the second quarter of 2010, and it will take about 18 months to complete, said Mike Richardson, first vice president of Bullock Tice Associates.

Construction of the center will incorporate the national trend in building – Crime Prevention through Environmental Design – and meet the mandatory state of Florida requirement to build according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (commonly called LEED) standards, Richardson said.

“We are looking at building a campus that emphasizes green technology and green jobs,” said PJC President Ed Meadows.

In 2008, the Florida Legislature approved $11 million for the center’s initial phase, which includes the master plan, construction of the first building and the site’s infrastructure. The money comes from the state’s Public Education Capital Outlay fund – more specifically, PECO new construction dollars.

The $9.4 million, two-story, multi-use building will include a conference room, general classrooms, biology lab, multiple science labs, computer lab, administrative/admissions area, financial aid and bursar offices, faculty offices, student services, a library and bookstore.

With three full-service campuses and its Downtown Center, PJC currently serves about 27,000 students from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida and southern Alabama. Construction of the South Santa Rosa Center will help PJC better serve one of the fastest-growing counties in Florida. From April 2000 to July 2008, Santa Rosa County grew 27.4 percent – almost doubling the state’s growth for the same period. The PJC center will also target the area’s military market – nearby Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field.

“It is an under-served college area and a growth quarter,” Meadows said. “The campus is being built with the Santa Rosa County School District to increase dual enrollment and perhaps vocational and technical training.”