By Joyce Wagner
Construction is projected to begin fall 2013 on the Flagler Palm Coast campus of Daytona State College. Slated to open fall 2014, just in time for a new school year, the 2-story building will relieve overcrowding and offer amenities not currently available on that campus.
Not only will there be more classrooms, but conveniences that are taken for granted on the main campus will be much appreciated, such as a snack area offering ‘grab & go” food and coffee, and a bookstore. This is a great improvement on the vending machines and the temporary bookstore which is only open a few days at the beginning of each semester.
With nearly 1,400 students enrolled this semester, the classrooms in buildings 1and 2 are at capacity. The new classrooms will offer flexibility by being able to remove non-weight bearing walls to increase seating. A large lecture hall is also planned for.
Another important aspect of the expansion is the increased parking. Attendance had steadily increased over the last several years, making it difficult to find any parking space, let alone a good one. A visit to the FPC campus on a Monday through Thursday from 8:00 to 2:30 or so will challenge one’s patience as they search for an empty, paved spot. Failing to do so leads to parking wherever space can be found, including the roadways and any place a car will fit legally.
Building 1 is an amphitheater flanked by portables. According to Kent Ryan, Dean of Campus Services, Flagler/ Palm Coast Campus, “The amphitheater is one of the oldest buildings in Palm Coast. ITT Corporation wanted a place for the community to have concerts and things like that. They chose this campus, then they put portable class rooms along the sides so it could be said, this was the college.” The portables are encased in concrete for aesthetic purposes. It was intended as a temporary modular system. Its classrooms are used mostly for math, but also include adult education and English for Speakers of Other Languages. The portables also house a small student lounge, a testing center, faculty offices, a computer lab, a radar to show current weather conditions and five clubs.
One of these clubs, the Veteran’s Club, is the original, even before the main DSC campus had one.
The amphitheater itself is used for concerts, mostly during the summer months when night classes can be scheduled for Bldg 2. The tiered, concrete floors hold 300 chairs, with at least that much seating available in the grassy, overflow area. Since most bands bring their own sound systems, the equipment that had been in the amphitheater was given to the News Journal Center.
Near the proposed construction site sits Bldg 2. Within one portion of the building is the administration center, academic advising, financial aid, woman’s center, and campus security. Another section has the academic support center and the writing center. There is an atrium, a gathering area for students, that connects these with the classroom portion.
The Student Government Association funded a covered area at the back of the classroom section where students can sit outside to relax, eat or do homework at picnic tables. The new building will be adjacent to this area helping to create a quad-type setting.
The campus, which is nestled among trees, is located on 100 wooded acres at 3000 Palm Coast Parkway Southeast in Flagler County. It is an enriching environment where students are thriving. An Associate of Arts degree can be entirely completed on the FPC campus. Administrators are looking forward to when they are able to offer more degrees without students needing to make the long, 50-minute drive to the main campus in Daytona Beach. Tom LoBasso, Senior Vice President, said will help to “serve the community better”, by providing on-site resources for the students.
The new building will be approximately 25,000square feet and is estimated to cost $7.6 million. The immediate impact for the community will be reflected in the job market, especially the construction business. The long term product will be greater accessibility to more students desiring to further their education. The campus is already self-sufficient, offering all the services available on the main campus, but on a smaller scale. Building 3 will enable FPC to keep its resources close to home.