Many things have changed or come to a halt amid the recent pandemic, but construction at Los Medanos College has not. 

The Student Union and Kinesiology and Athletics Complex project started back in 2017 and was set to finish by the beginning of the spring 2020 semester. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the opening was pushed back. 

Because of these setbacks, there was a soft opening of the Student Union building this past March, which featured the new Bookstore and student lounge area to be open to the public. 

Construction was hindered by the COVID-19 virus but only minutely before resuming to get back on track of things according to Vice President of Business and Administrative Services Carlos Montoya.

“Construction continues,” said LMC President Bob Kratochvil. “The Student Union is finishing up its punch list items.” 

Those punch list items are considered “internal milestones” according to Montoya. The delay is due to the recent shelter-in-place order creating “some challenges in the supply chain that are continually being evaluated and worked on.”

The landscaping of the Student Union is now fully completed and by the time students are able to return to campus, there will no longer be fences blocking Lot B. 

As for the new Brentwood Center, Montoya says that it “has experienced a little bit of a delay but we’re still on progress to meet the deadline for the fall,” which may or may not hold face-to-face instruction. 

To combat workers coming in to work sick and to prevent anyone potentially getting sick at work, various safety protocols and limited access by external subcontractors have been implemented, according to Montoya.

An example of these restrictions is “on deliveries, drivers are asked to remain in their vehicles and on-site staff are unloading and wiping down items,” explained Montoya.

Along with reduced access from the public and external sources, employees are required to fill out a “COVID-19 Daily Health Check” before getting into work. This questionnaire asks three questions about if the employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, has been in contact with someone suspected to have the virus and whether or not they understand the six-foot social distancing protocol.