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Historic building, historic time for RCC Mail Tribune / Steve Johnson Jake Hudson of Ten Electric wires the sign marking the new Rogue Community College administrative and academic building at the intersection of Riverside and Eighth streets. Workers are making the finishing touches for the new facility, which is housed in the former home of the Montgomery-Ward department store. College�s new building opens Monday By John Darling Brand-new on the inside and restored to its original beauty on the outside, Rogue Community College�s three-story, $2.25 million Riverside campus building opens for classes on Monday. The glass-fronted, 3,600- square-foot G Building, or the "Wards building," as it is being called informally, is downtown on Central Avenue in the old Montgomery-Ward building. It houses administrative offices, a large student lounge, all student services for Jackson County and 13 classrooms. It�s been completely gutted and modernized over the last three months. "It�s the cornerstone for RCC being downtown, with high visibility for the people of Jackson County to see that we are here," said RCC president Rick Levine. "It�s part of a new education and cultural center formed by the Craterian theater, RCC and the new library." The new RCC center comes just in time for a robust 23 percent jump in Jackson County enrollment, said communications director Margaret Bradford. RCC has 4,934 students this fall in both Jackson and Josephine county campuses, with a nearly half of them in Jackson County. The main floor of the new facility has the student lounge, student activities, student government and a large tutoring center. The upper floor is administration, financial aid, registration and counseling. The subfloor houses the 13 classrooms, which focus on humanities, math and computer labs, Levine said. Walls and doors of the old building were ripped out and replaced. There is a new elevator, new carpet or linoleum throughout, and new duct work visible along most ceilings. The old Montgomery-Ward pressed-tin ceiling remains, though painted sage, as are many of the walls. The Rogue Community College name is emblazoned in big red letters on the new building, against a tan stucco trimmed in forest green with red accents. Refurbishing was done by building owner Alan DeBoer with general contractor Bob Skipper of Medford. RCC has a lease option on the building and plans to take ownership this year with bond-like Certificates of Participation, which RCC will pay back over 20 years, said Dave Jordan, dean of academic services. "It�s a historic building and it (the exterior) has been restored to the condition it was in when built," said Levine. The Wards building represents the last RCC capital improvement downtown, he said; in future years, the college plans to study a main campus in more open areas of the county, perhaps near the airport, Central Point or White City. With burgeoning enrollment, RCC anticipates problems with parking in downtown Medford, said Bradford; however, the college offers 100 spaces in its two lots, plus 250 spaces of nearby public parking, usually three-hour zones. RCC has been working with Medford Urban Area Redevelopment Association and Rogue Valley Transportation District to lessen parking impact. Students, staff and faculty are offered RCC-subsidized free bus rides to the campus area and discount coupons at local eateries, she said. Completion of the project in 90 days has been quite an accomplishment on the part of contractors and subs, said Levine. "The whole thing has been a little nerve-wracking, but we�re excited about it and we�re going to be ready at 8 a.m. Monday." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA