The Hudson County Community College board of trustees has approved the college’s first student center, repurposing an unused building into a new facility, it announced recently.
Funding of up to $8.2 million was approved at the board’s January meeting and work is scheduled to begin this month, HCCC said in a news release.
The new facility will be located at 81 Sip Ave. on the Journal Square Campus in Jersey City, HCCC said, at a property that has been vacant since the Fall 2017 opening of the college’s STEM Building. The project will completely renovate the 26,000-square-foot, two-story building, including new HVAC systems, elevators and a connection to the HCCC Gabert Library next door, among other features. It is expected to be completed in 2020.
When complete, the building will include a student lounge, café, security command center, offices for student organizations and college departments, and more.
“This is Hudson County Community College’s first dedicated student center building,” President Chris Reber said in a prepared statement. “This new facility will provide students with a place to study, to relax and to interact with one another, sharing ideas and building relationships. We are excited and very proud to begin working on this project, and look forward to opening its doors and welcoming our students early next year.”
The project is part of HCCC’s ongoing capital improvement program, which has seen the college grow from just one building 20 years ago to nearly a dozen properties in Jersey City and the North Hudson Campus in Union City.
“This is yet another step the college is taking in the creation of state-of-the-art urban campuses that afford our students the very best in technology, safety and convenience,” HCCC board Chair William J. Netchert said in a statement.
Di Cara | Rubino Architects of Wayne was awarded a $90,000 contract for architectural and engineering services, and APS Contracting Inc. of Paterson was awarded the $6.1 million contract for renovations.
