Allie Fairall, the Associated Students of Centralia College president, poses for a photo with a giant pair of ceremonial scissors after a ribbon cutting for the new TransAlta Student Commons building on Tuesday afternoon.
A woman with an umbrella walks into the northwest entrance to the TransAlta Student Commons building for the grand opening on the Centralia College campus in May 2017.
Centralia College President Dr. Robert Mohrbacher recognizes members of the Centralia College Foundation during a presentation at the grand opening of the TransAlta Student Commons building in early May.
People stands on the decks over looking the main atrium of the new TransAlta Student Commons building during a grand opening in May 2017 on the Centralia College campus.
Steve Ward, the Centralia College vice president of finance and administration, is given a standing ovation during the grand opening ceremony for the new TransAlta Student Commons building on Tuesday afternoon in Centralia.
People tour around the three floors of the Centralia College TransAlta Student Commons building during the grand opening in May.
Centralia College christened its newest building on Tuesday when the TransAlta Commons was officially unveiled to students, staff and the public during a grand opening ceremony that was years in the making.
“It really modernizes the campus … it gives us a 21st century facility,” Centralia College President Bob Mohrbacher said. “It is a really great place for students.”
The large open spaces give students numerous places to gather, study and meet friends, which creates a sense of community, Mohrbacher said. This helps students feel welcome and helps them be successful. The building is just under 70,000 square feet. It represents one of the final steps of a master plan outlined years ago to upgrade Centralia College.
“The more they feel that they belong here the more likely they will stay here until they graduate,” he said.
For student body president Alexandria Fairall, the highlight of the building is the large bleacher-style stairs on the second floor. Centrally located in the building, they are an ideal place to study, she said, with the added benefit of large windows to capture the elusive Western Washington sun.
“This is Centralia College making its mark,” Fairall said. “As students this is a huge expansion project.”
Aside from the student gathering places and the cafeteria, the commons houses several state of the art classrooms and a writing center as well as several college departments and a bookstore. Fairall said it is a way for Centralia College to step up and compete with larger universities.
The banquet hall is named after prolific community activist and elected official Rose Bowman, who played a significant role in the project. She died this week at 72.
“We will be celebrating her memory in a number of ways here,” Mohrbacher said.
This building is the largest capital project to be completed on the campus, Steve Ward, vice president of finance and administration, said. Planning initially started in 2007 and the project survived the Great Recession. When the economy regained its footing, the $32 million project secured funding from numerous sources mostly from the state capital budget.
“Anything we can do to improve the college and the community here is a plus,” Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, told The Chronicle at the ribbon cutting.
Other sources include $3 million from the student government, $1 million from the Centralia College Capital Projects fund and $500,000 from TransAlta for the naming rights to the building.
“The partnership we have with the college has been amazing,” TransAlta spokeswoman Lori Schmitt said.
Managing Director of the Centralia Plant Micky Dreher said he is impressed with the building and looks forward to watching the students and the community use it.
