Campus Green Builder

The Dallas County Community College District was formed in 1965 and today serves a sprawling metropolitan area of some 2.4 million people and 860 square miles. The largest community college district in the largest state in the lower 48, Dallas County is delivering educational services to approximately 10 percent of the county’s population each year.¹

The financing of the Sabine Hall building project was done entirely through this bond issue obtained by the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD). The bonds were obtained through a countywide tax election. On May 15, 2004, the voters overwhelmingly approved a $450 million bond issue for the district, one that cleared the way for a decade of improvements on its various campuses. DCCCD said the funds would enable it to expand capacity and update classrooms and laboratories to meet students’ needs; address safety and accessibility issues at older facilities in the system; and ensure that the district was ready to meet the specific educational and training needs of its fast-growing and changing population. In all, 32 projects were listed in the bond program, spread across the seven individually accredited colleges—Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland. The work includes new and renovated science and classroom buildings, student services centers, industrial and automotive technology buildings, theater and arts facilities, and athletic fields and support buildings.²

One point to note here is that the funds were not issued with a stipulation that construction for which the funds would be utilized needs to follow green building principles or sustainable practices. However, the Richland College decided to follow the path of sustainable design and construction adhering to and promoting its core mission and philosophy.

The complete cost of Sabine Hall, which includes planning, construction and LEED^® documentation and certification cost, is estimated to be $43.2 million. The president and the senior administration acted as ardent advocates and leaders in obtaining and distributing the necessary funds for the project, as well as simultaneously campaigning about the importance of green building practice among peer institutions.

Also, the Director of Facilities Services, Eddie Hueston mentioned that the Bond administration, which is developed for managing and coordinating the bond projects and processes, hired an independent architecture firm to address and assimilate the sustainability aspects of the project into the planning as well as fund-dissemination procedure. More information and updates on the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) bond issue can be found at the DCCCD Bond Program information page and this DCCCD website search.

¹ and ² Archiving Business Excellence Online.(June 8, 2009) "Dallas Community College District." Retrieved October 2, 2009.