SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Lake Tahoe Community College will break ground this August on an efficiency upgrade project using Measure F funds.

El Dorado County Supervisors gave LTCC approval to sell a portion of Measure F bonds for $14 million during their June 29 meeting. This sale, Series C, is the third of four rounds of bond sales using the Measure F funds.

This round of funding will be used for the “Remodel for Efficiency” project. The RFE project focuses on the main campus building, primarily the D and E wings, as well as a portion of the F wing.

While the project will touch on energy efficiency upgrades, its primary goal is to improve the flow of students.

“We need to utilize classroom space better,” said Darci Osika, capital construction specialist for Measure F projects.

Phase 1 of the project is set to break ground at the beginning of August. Interior work will continue through December 2022, then exterior work will be completed the summer of 2022 into 2023.

“It will fundamentally alter the campus, upgrading much of the main building and its student support spaces such as counseling, admissions, and financial aid,” said LTCC President/Superintendent Jeff DeFranco. “All science and art labs will be modernized and upgraded as well, with significant health and safety improvements made along with the addition of innovative classroom technology and flexible furniture and educational spaces for students.”

The project has a $21.6 million price tag, although 50% of the funds are coming from the state chancellor’s office. Some of the funding is also coming from leftover balances from the previous bond sales.

Although the Series C sale is worth $14 million, only $9.25 million is to be used for the RFE project.

“Three million will be used for an equipment storage building that will be used by maintenance and the career technical schools,” said Ami Chilton, capital projects finance manager.

Another $250,000 will be used as planning money for the forthcoming Tahoe Basin Public Safety Training Center. The rest will be set aside as a contingency.

Past bond sales have been used for a variety of projects on campus, including the Early Learning Center, the mobility hub and countless campus upgrades.

The bond sale is scheduled to close on July 16 and the RFE project is contingent upon its sale. Between the Series A, B and C sales, there will be $7 million left of the original $55 million.

The Series D sale will be used for the training center.

Chilton said when voters approved Measure F in 2014, the training center was one of the top reasons for support. However, the training center can’t move forward until the RFE project is done because of efficiency standards set by the state.

For more information about Measure F bonds, visit http://www.ltcc.edu/about/measuref/index.php.