New Ag Pavilion Going Up

Construction signs and rent-a-fences surrounding the West Campus construction site alongside Highway 99 may be standing in puddles this week. But the arrival of autumn rains will not likely delay construction of the new multi-purpose Agricultural Pavilion.  Scheduled for completion by spring semester of 2011, the 75,000 square foot building, visible from Highway 99 and the Briggsmore overpass, will be in use by the fall semester of 2011.

Students and the local community, not to mention the Agricultural Division faculty, are looking forward to this event.

The building is deigned to serve a number of different functions. The first part of the Pavilion will contain two classrooms, two labs, a commercial kitchen, ticket booth and a few offices. The second part of the building will contain and dirt arena, roughly 150 feet by 300 feet in perimeter. The arena will have seating for 1200 to 1500 people for various events to be put on by the students and the community.  This new building is expected to increase the attractiveness of the agricultural education at Modesto Junior College for students from all over the United States, and perhaps, the world. Construction costs will range between $15 million and $17 million dollars, approved by local voters through the Measure E bond approved in 2001.

The Pavilion has yet to be named and is currently being referred to as the Multi-Purpose Agricultural Pavilion. The YCCD Board believes that this is what it should be called unless a very generous donation is donated for this building, in which case the donor will be allowed to provide a new name.

               Students and professors interviewed for this article seemed positive about the opportunities the new addition to West Campus will provide, although some students were still not aware what exactly was going up on the construction site. Others said that they looked forward to attending events there, especially large scale and major state agriculture events.

     Ag Professor David Baggett said that the pavilion would benefit some agricultural majors in particular.

     "This will benefit the dairy and beef judging team a lot. Allowing the professors to show and compare animals side by side right here at the JC; versus having to go to Turlock or someone's backyard to line cattle up to compare."

     John Mendes, who teaches Animal Science and Leadership and supervises the agricultural interns at West Campus, said that the new facility would "expand our program and allow us to have hands on opportunities right in the classroom. We have classrooms within the facility as well as the arena, which allows us to bring in animals, equipment and any types of agricultural applications that can be hosted right there in that facility. So we will allow students to have the opportunity to learn in the classroom and apply the hands on experience to the real world. The community will also have the opportunity to use the facility and promote agricultural education."