South Mountain Community College breaks ground on $13.6M expansion, renovation

PHOENIX — Construction of a $13.6 million science complex project at South Mountain Community College has begun with officials breaking ground on Monday.

A 19,000-square-foot physical and life sciences building will be added to the current campus located near Baseline Road and 24th Street in Phoenix.

Constructed by McCarthy Building Companies, the project is expected to be finished in June 2022, months before the fall semester, officials said in a press release.

In addition to the new building, around 13,400 square feet of existing space will be renovated.

Along with new laboratories, a cadaver lab and lab support space, the project will also include informal learning spaces and faculty offices, officials said in the release.

The botanical garden housed at the current campus will be moved to the new science center following construction, officials said in the release.

Built in 1980, the current life sciences building at the campus had many limitations, Shari Olson, president of South Mountain Community College, said in the release.

Olson added the new project will “provide the opportunity for students to start and finished their program of study,” as well as “pave the way for continued growth in high-demand STEM fields.”

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