Santa Monica representatives, along with City of Malibu representatives, attended the Malibu Public Facilities Authority Special Meeting on March 16 to provide an update on the Santa Monica College (SMC) campus building and the Sheriff’s substation since the last meeting on Dec. 8.
Facilities Director Charlie Yen said the initial completion date of October was extended to November due to construction employees out with COVID-19.
“We had to shut down the site twice due to COVID. We had seven to 10 people that we quarantined, so we had to push the project back a month to make up the time,” Yen said. “I’ve been working with contractors to see how we can catch up so we’ll be able to keep the original schedule but at this point we’ll be completed by November 2022.”
Santa Monica College Trustee Nancy Greenstein asked about safety features, since it is a shared building. Yen said there will be security cameras at the sheriff’s stations, locked double doors and separate parking to separate the jail facility and the campus.
Malibu Interim City Manager Steve McClary asked about the shared property, who it is owned by and who is leasing it. Santa Monica College Senior Director of Government Relations Donald Girard said the property is owned by the county.
Shari Davis, co-director of the Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute, asked the board members how they will implement parking on the property.
Yen said they have sent a request to the city of Malibu to get the regulations, and once they receive it, they can consider parking signage to address the issue.
Greenstein said they hope to organize more frequent meetings leading to the completion date.
“I think every two months would probably be ideal as we’re closing on it here,” Mayor Paul Grisanti said. “I think the more finished the building gets, the more questions are going to come up.”
The board agreed to meet in two months.