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A New Office in Downtown Medford |
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| May 7, 2007: Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University are building a joint education building in downtown Medford, Oregon. This building is primarily designed for many new classrooms needed by both educational institutions. There are also many faculty and staff offices in the building. Currently my office is scheduled to be on the ground floor in the new business center. The photo above shows the forms for the foundation of the building and it is this corner where my office is scheduled. Even though the college is building new classroom space, the college is coming under increasing financial pressure for operating funds. Because of this, 44 faculty and staff have been laid off beginning July 1. I expect the financial pressure to continue. Additionally, I'm continuing to wish for retirement from a full time position. For these two reasons my position may not reach the fall, 2008 date for opening of the new building. Assuming that it does, I'll continue to post photos here of my new potential office as it is being built. For planning photos, click here. |
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May 25, 2007: Same corner of the new building as pictured above. The foundation has been prepared for the concrete floor. I'm photographing this corner because my office is scheduled to be on this floor, just on the other side of this foundation with a window facing to the left of the photo. It is amazing watching the foundation taking form. |
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| June 7, 2007: The construction has begun on the framing of the new classroom/office building. The guys are walking all over the I beams without a net or straps. They don't seem to worry. You can't believe how fast these fellows work and how fast this end of the building is beginning to take shape. After taking this photo, the iron workers wanted to know if I was from the newspaper. My answer was, "that fellow is standing over my future office". Click the photo to see a larger view. |
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June 20, 2007: Only two weeks since the last photo, this one taken from the opposite side as the first photos. You can see the foundation extending toward us in the bottom left. This is only a small portion of the building but the framework for all three stories has been started. Click the photo for a larger view. |
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| July 12, 2007: Concrete floors are added to the second and third stories of the new classroom building. The temporary support columns are for added support while the concrete is hardening. The contractor poured the concrete on the second story, waited a couple of days for it to harden, added the third story support beams then poured the third story floor. My office is to the left of the red tool chest on the ground floor. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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July 20, 2007: Note the floor of this ground floor room. It is graduated in levels. This is the auditorium of the business center. The auditorium is designed to hold 105 people with the floor graduated where the people in the back of the room are higher than those in the front. Excellent for business seminars and demonstrations. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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| August 9, 2007: Today was the day the framing was installed to frame the windows in my new office. It won't be long before the walls are installed and I won't be able to observe the interior progress. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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August 28, 2007: My office is beginning to take shape. The interior studs are in place and the entry door way is framed. The outside sheeting is being installed. Soon, I'll not be able to see the interior progress. This office has the potential of being the very best office on campus. It's a corner office with windows on two sides. My current office has NO windows. |
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| October 2, 2007: Much work has been done on the interior of the building this last month. The exterior has been sealed and looks to be ready for another layer or windows to be installed. This is my corner office, the electric lines have been added to the office and heating/air conditioning ducts spread to this end of the building. |
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October 16, 2007: Window frames were added today to my corner office. It won't be long and windows will be added. I won't be able to see the interior progress once the windows are added. A sealer has also been added to the exterior walls, hence the black color. |
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| October 30, 2007: Today the glass is installed into the window frames. I was thinking this was early because there is much to do and installing the glass gives the workers a bigger chance to accidentally break the glass. On the other hand, the interior sheet rock needs to be protected from the elements so I guess it's a trade-off. |
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November 8, 2007: Scaffolding is installed around this end of the new office building. The scaffolding will be for the brick layers. Most of the first floor is covered with plastic so the bricks must be planned for the second and third floors. |
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| November 26, 2007: The bricks have nearly made it to the top of the building over my new corner office. Click to enlarge the photo and check out the scaffolding. I just don't see that the base is wide enough to support such a tall walkway. |
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January 9, 2008: It seems like slow progress on the new classroom and office building. My new office will be the corner office with windows on two sides. My office is the only office on campus with two windows. It's strange watching the bricks go on the building. The masons add them one at a time ... just as was done a hundred years ago. |
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| January 18, 2008: Today was very special. We were taken on a tour of the interior of the new classroom/office building. Can you imagine how excited we all were. This is the best photo I could get of my new office. Windows on two walls because it's the corner office. The painters have already painted the walls. It looks like my office will be the first to be completed in the building. You can click the photo to enlarge. |
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January 31, 2008: Across the street from the new classroom-office building is a two story classroom-office building which will be abandoned once the college occupies the new building. Currently, my office is located in the "basement" of the "D" building (note the "D" to the left of the door. My current office has no windows and is about 6 x 8 feet. The desk takes up 2/3 of the room. This view of the "D" building is from the 2nd floor of the new building. |
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| February 21, 2008: The contractors have begun adding the metal exterior trim where there is no brick. Under the trim is styrofoam insulation. I'm sure it will also act as sound deadening which will be needed since this corner office is on two busy streets. My name is still on this office but more of the staff is learning that this is the best office on the campus and may try an "end run". |
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March 6, 2008: The heating and air conditioning unit is hoisted to the roof top today by the biggest crane I've ever seen. The side of the unit says 210 ton but I'm sure that's the output size of the unit rather than the weight. 210 ton would be 420,000 lbs. The crane looks like it could lift that much but the truck which brought the unit was a standard flat bed semi-truck trailer. They don't carry anything more than about 65,000 lbs. It took about a day to set up the crane, 1 hour to put the unit on the roof, then they began breaking down the crane. You can see another view of the unit by clicking on photo. |
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| April 7, 2008: This is a giant something they are building right in front of my office window. My window is at the far corner. This is about 6 feet deep and the top is at ground level. It's pretty big for a planter box. I asked a worker what it was and was told he didn't know ... he just follows the lines. I'll keep an eye on it. |
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April 29, 2008: The frame work for the stairs has been built. My office is the far corner of the building. This will be the main student entrance to the building. The room above this entrance (all glass) is a small forum room for staff and student meetings. |
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| May 9, 2008: My current office is on the left in the light green building, the new office building is on the right. The street between is 8th Street. The city is in the process of making part of 8th Street and the cross street into a combination walking and driving commons project. For now, it means the street is a mess with equipment, rough road, cones, fences and locked doors separating the students from easy access to one of the main classroom buildings. I'm sure it will be pretty when it's done. |
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| May 10, 2008: Gwen and I went to the Art in Bloom street fair today in downtown Medford. This is Bartlett Street which will be torn up and improved as I discussed yesterday. The ugly telephone poles on the left will be removed and utilities put underground. The new Rogue Community College office and classroom building is the three story building on the left in the distance. The two story brick building on the right in the distance is the new Jackson County Library building. The street where people are walking is currently asphalt but will be torn up and replaced with a combination of pavers and asphalt. Eighth Street shown above is in the distance. It crosses Bartlett just before the portable potty in the distance. |
| May 22, 2008: I got a surprise email today asking me to meet Grant in the new building to place the order for new furniture to be installed in my new office. I hadn't seen my new office since January 18. The office is completed, painted, carpeted, wall plates on the electrical outlets, even a thermostat. This is Grant checking over the blueprint to my office. |
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Slide your mouse pointer through either picture to see the view from the opposite direction. The template for the desk is on the floor to learn if I need a right or left return. We also decided on a file cabinet, book shelf, visitor chairs, and a combination bulletin board/white board. Notice all the natural light on this cloudy day? My current office is less than half this size and no windows. |
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| May 27, 2008: I had to have my photo taken before taking a tour of the new building. Everyone must wear a hard hat to gain entrance to the new building. There are still many workman working on all levels and stuff is flying everywhere. You don't want to get hit without a hard hat. |
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June 3, 2008: This is my side of the new classroom/office building. The student entrance is at the bottom right. My office is at the bottom left. The business center is on the first floor between the student entrance and my office. Click to enlarge. |
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| June 4, 2008: This is the west side (long side) of the new classroom building. The student entrance is on the bottom left. Click to enlarge. |
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June 12, 2008: This is the south side of the building. Looks like the garbage container will go here. The backup generator is hiding on the right side of this utility area. I believe the science labs are on this end of the building. The contractors are scheduled to give the college this building in one month. Click to enlarge. |
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| June 25, 2008: Concrete sidewalks and pavers are added to the student entrance. The construction should be completed within another three weeks. The third floor is the last to be completed. I was given notice that phones and Internet service are to be turned off to my current office before the new office is complete. That means a temporary move to an older building before the final move. |
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July 2, 2008: I got to do a self-guided tour today of the interior of the new building. This is a view from the second story window looking at the east side of the building, bordering Riverside Ave. Bad Ass Coffee Shop, where I get my morning coffee, is in the distance to the left. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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| July 5, 2008: This is the business center presentation hall. 105 permanent seats will be installed for business presentations and community events. You can see the floor will create stadium seating. Pass your pointer through the photo to see a view toward the side windows. |
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July 28, 2008: The presentation hall with seats installed. The building is still not ready for occupancy. Finish work is still being completed; phone and network cables are not connected yet. |
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| July 29, 2008: I was right, yesterday they brought in furniture so now my office is furnished except for a chair. The move is still a couple of week off or more. The phone lines and network cables need to be connected. It's still exciting to look at the future. |
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August 13, 2008: Still not in the new office but the street remodel is nearly complete. The workmen are laying asphalt outside my new office. The phone has a dial tone but can't be used to dial out. I've moved some books to the new office and put a few pencils into the pencil tray. |
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| August 19, 2008: Landscaping is started today. Bartlett Street between the Higher Education Center and the rest of the campus is nearly ready for paving. The concrete curbs and sidewalks will be added before the paving. My new office is to the far left of the building. I've move many minor items to my office but have not begun working in the office yet because the phone works only for incoming calls and there is no Internet connection yet. However, my office in the "D" building across the street, has been without phone and Internet for two weeks. I'll probably move my computer tomorrow since I lose nothing and gain incoming phone calls. The phone number in my new office is not advertised so I actually get NO phone calls but can call out to other phones on the college system. Click the photo to enlarge. |
| August 20, 2008: This is the east side of the building facing Riverside Avenue. The landscaper is putting them into the ground after installing the irrigation system. The entrance at the far side of the landscaping is the entrance to the Business Center. The Business Center has been created to help small business owners with customized employee training, management skills, marketing and accounting. It also contains my new office. Click the photo to enlarge. |
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August 26, 2008: I've made it. I've spent the first day in my new office. I still need some large pictures on the walls and perhaps a plant or two. Also everyone in the |
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building will get a new computer and I'm still using the old computer. A new computer should be arriving within a few days. It will use the new VISTA operating system and have 4 gig of RAM. I've heard it is a very fast computer.
Today the landscape guys came around the corner and began planting the trees in front of my two windows. Once all the landscaping is in place, I expect it will improve the building greatly. |
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September 3, 2008: Today is the big day. The concrete is not all poured for the sidewalks but it's time for speeches and ribbon cutting. The entire city's of Medford and Ashland were invited and many showed to view the new building for the first time. |
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RCC President Peter Angstad spoke just before the last speaker, the President of Southern Oregon University. This is a building shared by RCC and by SOU so the official title of the building is the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center.
Architects, college board members, College Presidents and the Chamber of Commerce shared the cutting of the ribbon to the building. |
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