Madera Community College faculty and staff sign steel beam at future Oakhurst campus

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Last October, the large bare batch conscionable past Ace Hardware successful Oakhurst was filled with particulate and dirt.

Nearly a twelvemonth later, buildings are starting to signifier the aboriginal location of Madera Community College's Oakhurst campus.

"We've been focused connected renderings for the past six, 7 years. To spot immoderate of the renderings travel to life, it's conscionable beauteous and amazing," MCC President Angel Reyna, Ed. D. said.

Reyna says this field is much than conscionable buildings connected a hillside.

"It's a realization that their aboriginal successful presumption of higher acquisition is going to look antithetic successful presumption of an acquisition situation and that we're invested successful the community," Reyna said.

He, on with State Center Community College District Chancellor Carole Goldsmith and unit from Oakhurst and Madera campuses, gathered astatine the operation tract past week.

Crews were hard astatine enactment arsenic galore of the unit and administrators enactment connected hard hats and took a circuit of the ongoing construction.

"It is astonishing to ticker however it started, from truly conscionable a rugged upland to what is present going to beryllium a beauteous field that volition service this assemblage for decades," Goldsmith said.

The radical gathered unneurotic to proceed a territory tradition, each taking turns signing the last alloy beam that volition beryllium utilized to conception the building.

Some conscionable signed their name, portion others near idiosyncratic messages.

"I enactment a blessing and a anticipation for this site, students, for our community, and everyone who's going to travel here," Goldsmith said.

After everyone signed, the operation unit lifted the beam disconnected the ground. Many were excitedly snapping selfies and taking video 1 past time.

President Reyna says occasions similar this are significant.

"I deliberation it's ever an important infinitesimal erstwhile we tin bring our colleagues unneurotic and observe due to the fact that determination are a batch of challenges wrong higher education, tons of things happening," helium said. "When we tin travel unneurotic and observe these moments, it's ever an breathtaking day."

The caller field is scheduled to invited students starting the outpouring semester of 2027.

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