EDISON — Middlesex County College kicked off construction on one of two new buildings scheduled for completion in 2016.
A Sept. 24 groundbreaking marked the coming of West Hall, which will consolidate enrollment services. Set to open in spring 2016, the two-story building will enable the college to transform student enrollment, according to college officials.
“Our goal is to bring the services of several departments under one roof to meet the needs of students and their family members for admission, financial aid, advising, registration, orientation, scholarships and student accounts,” College President Joann La Perla-Morales said at the groundbreaking.
Students will have the ability to take care of most of their enrollment process by visiting one counter.
West Hall, at the corner of Parkside Drive and College Drive East, will be about 26,000 square feet. The project includes improvements to the ecological park behind the building.
Donald R. Drost Jr., executive director of facilities management, said the design is completed and construction is set for the end of 2014 or early 2015. It is expected to cost $12 million and will be funded by Chapter 12. Through this program, the county sells bonds, and the state and county then split the debt service.
Crabiel Hall, MCC’s newest building, received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Drost said the MCC is shooting for a gold rating for West Hall.
A groundbreaking for the second building, South Hall, is set for Oct. 24. Funded by the Building Our Future Bond Act — approved by voters in 2012 — South Hall will be a science building.
It replaces South I and South II, which were demolished last summer. They had been the temporary home for James Monroe Elementary School pupils last spring, after the Edison school burned down in March.