If you end up taking a leisurely walk to the east side of campus anytime soon, you’ll likely end up spotting a large cube of intertwining metal in the distance, with a gigantic yellow crane looming over it. What you’re looking at is the first visible signs of the Cascade Learning Resource Center (CLRC), EvCC’s controversial expansion project.

After five months of paving and breaking ground, construction was able to begin on assembling the framework of the resource center itself, sparking major changes overnight. On the tenth, the previously mentioned yellow crane arrived on-site for the first time. It quickly got to work lifting and lowering metallic pieces onto the building’s foundation, where crewmen waited to weld it all together. After only a few days, a 3-story structure of steel had emerged.

For Site Superintendent Anthony Pittman, this major milestone was made possible thanks to a lot of meticulous planning. Every aspect of construction is scheduled ahead of time, and keeping to the timeline has not just kept things steady, but actually accelerated the process. “Even when we lost four days because of the snow, we were still ahead of schedule,” said Pittman.

Construction will be done assembling the center by the end of January. After that, the building’s concrete floors will be poured during February, then the whole building will be enclosed in metal sheets and brick by the start of March.

When the CLRC opens its doors in April 2023, it will become the new home for on-campus facilities used often by students. Some of these include the John N. Terry Library, the Writing & Tutoring Centers, and the Russell Day Gallery. It will also expand the number of classrooms and media rooms we currently have on-campus.

However, the center has also become a bitter source of debate, as its location across Broadway Ave. will require students to cross traffic, which can be a major hurdle for students with disabilities. The EvCC Board Of Trustees initially announced plans to construct a pedestrian bridge to address this matter, but construction has yet to begin on the project.

Regardless of accessibility issues, work will continue going forward at full steam for the remainder of the year.

For any future developments on this story, stay tuned to the Everett Clipper.