OC unveils $18 million building today in ceremony

Source: Odessa American, TexasJan.迷你倉 23--Instantly, a newcomer to the Wood Building of Math and Science notices the wealth of natural light pouring into the building's hallways, open stairwell and classrooms.Floor-to-ceiling windows -- spanning three floors on the north side -- show off the best views Odessa has to offer as one Odessa College employee put it: The Ector County Coliseum through one window and downtown's American State Bank tower from another."It's so cool to see the students come in and go 'wow,' to see their reactions," Shawn Shreves, the vice president of information technology, said.At 9 a.m. Tuesday as students were filing into the $18 million building for the first time and the first day of the semesters' classes, Shreves stood at the main entrance helping to direct them the right way."It's a relief for sure. When I started (at OC) seven months ago, it was just concrete and steel. So to see the finished product, it's great," Shreves said.Just behind where Shreves stood on the first floor is the building's Internet cafe with a student worker manning a small cafe offering coffee, scones, yogurt parfaits and turkey wraps. Yellow chairs surround square tables and already students plopped down to read or chat in-between class.Vice President for Business Affairs Virginia Chisum was taking a short break in one of the chairs in the foyer eating a cranberry and white chocolate scone and drinking coffee from the cafe."It's even a good place to get breakfast," Chisum said.She's the go-to person on the $68.5 million bond project that was passed by Ector County voters in 2010. Chisum knows this building and the other eight new additions and renovations inside and out. Later in a tour, Chisum gave the particulars: "It's 66,874 square feet to be exact. Three stories. It cost $18 million and 16 months to complete. We finished on Dec. 31, 2013, so it was done in 2013!" Chisum said with a laugh.A ceremony at 2 p.m. today is scheduled to welcome the public into the new building.On the third floor, Chisum pointed to where a large photo will soon go and nearby an Apple TV will carry the Discovery Channel o自存倉 the National Geographic channel."The whole idea is that you're learning, even in the hallways. It's education on display," Chisum said.On display, certainly, every classroom has a window to the hallways, as do the offices, study areas and computer labs.A student could stop and watch a dissection, for example, on the third floor in one of the biology labs, or listen to instructor Dennis Edwards explain principals of geology.He and other teachers were polled on what they needed and desired in their classroom and storage spaces, Director of Media Relations Cheri Dalton said. She used a large round lever that rolled open the cubbies for Edwards' artifacts.Katie Hammers, 21, is taking a science class for her physical therapy major at OC. It was her first semester since moving from Kilgore in East Texas."It's far better than my last school. It's a really nice building," Hammers said.In the hallways, large murals or decals span to the ceiling. Directing students to the chemistry labs is a giant periodic table and facing that are dry-erase walls that students could use as a study tool and write upon. The same surfaces are in every classroom, Shreves said, and each instructor checked out a "magic pen" to use with the projectors when "writing" or projecting their writing onto the walls."It's inspiring," Dalton said.Of course, this building is just the latest in the Vision 2015 project. Outside the Wood building were workers using machinery to carve out the landscaping and lay down sidewalk that connects to the Campus Center that will open in early spring.Overlooking the courtyard -- which will have seating and an amphitheater -- is a large terrace that could hold several dozen people.The terrace isn't for wedding receptions, as Chisum joked pointing to the LED "mood" lighting that line beneath a metal railing, but for a botany outdoor learning lab.--Contact Lindsay Weaver on twitter at @OAschools, on Facebook at OA Lindsay Weaver or call 432-333-7781.Copyright: ___ (c)2014 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at .oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉出租