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Campus cracks

The first millage project plans to fix the cracks in the exterior brick of the L Building.

The first stage of MCCC’s 2016 millage will reinforce the L Building and add a student space to the north side of the building.

The five-year millage request was passed on Nov. 8, 2016. The revenue produced by the added property tax will finance a series of projects that are designed to make the main campus and Whitman Center more safe, accessible, and technologically advanced.

“I think passing the millage was very positive for us and for the community. It shows that our community believes in us. They trust us. They believe that we provide a high-quality education,” MCCC President Kojo Quartey said. “And that’s why many people voted ‘yes’ for the millage.”

Sue Wetzel, vice president of Administration, said the first millage project will be repairing the masonry and sun shades on the L Building, which will begin in the summer.  

The masonry refers to all the exterior brick on the building. Some of the bricks have cracks, so they need to be reinforced.

The sun shades are on the second floor of the building, and they provide shade for all rooms on the exterior walls.

They were originally engineered out of concrete. The heavy material has cracked over time, which is endangering the structure of the building.

Wetzel said they will construct new sun shades out of a lighter material, probably metal.

The masonry and sun shade project will cost about $925,000.

There is a little over a million dollars in the Millage Maintenance and Replacement Fund, which is the fund that tracks the project’s revenue and expenses, from this wave of taxes.

Quartey said they are carefully managing the millage money.

“We will remain accountable with the funds,” he said.

While the L Building is under construction, college officials plan to add a student space onto the north part of the building. The area will be an extension of the hallway that leads out to the front parking lot by the CTC Building.

The Life Science Building