The Brentwood Center at Pioneer center is the newest addition to the Los Medanos College as of fall 2021. It was struck with a flood last year that halted the opening of a majority of its office facilities and Library center. The LMC team worked hard and opened building A sooner than expected. As of Feb. 24, Building A is open and ready for faculty use.

The flood that occurred last fall was due to water intrusion from the adjacent housing subdivision irrigation system. It left a few rooms in Building A with water damage to the flooring, drywall and furniture. The legs of the tables in the conference rooms had to be replaced due to damages. 

According to Ryan Pederson, the dean of Instruction, Math and Sciences, only the faculty area is open and can be accessed at the moment as construction is still ongoing. The only access point is through the external door between Building A and Building b.   

Carlos Montoya, the vice president of Business and Administrative Services, said that the legs for those certain tables were difficult to order as they were hard to source. There have been shipping delays on specific pieces of furniture and the contractors needed more time with the repairs. 

Montoya mentions that overall the progress of fully opening the center is going smoothly. He said he has a good team of consultants and is really close to meeting the official opening date. With the pressure of opening and having multiple delays, Montoya says he “tries not to let the frustration get in the way to get everything done.” 

Virginia Richards, Manager of Disability Support Services, also agrees with Montoya on how nicely the center is progressing. The Brentwood Center will continue with its current hours and scheduled classes throughout the spring semester, says Richards. 

Robert Estrada, the LMC Bookstore manager, announced the Brentwood bookstore has also opened. The bookstore hours are Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the store is closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday along with holidays. They offer a variety of supplies, beverages and food as well as LMC logo merchandise and textbooks for Brentwood classes.