OCCC also plans buildings in Lincoln City, Waldport; hopes for enrollment boost

NEWPORT - Oregon Coast Community College operates out of space downtown that used to house an insurance agency, furniture store, beauty salon, karate studio and a bar.

"It's very cramped, very crowded," said Patrick O'Connor, college president.

While most colleges have campuses, this is a patchwork system of classrooms and offices in former storefronts along Highway 101, and parking in downtown Newport can be a problem, O'Connor said.

But big things are on the horizon for the Oregon Coast Community College, most notably on a forested hillside overlooking the South Beach area of Newport.

The college will create a 65,000-square-foot main building one mile southeast of the Yaquina Bay Bridge.

"That campus will have the things a person expects when they go to college. The purpose is, first and foremost, to have a good learning environment," O'Connor said on a visit to the site earlier this month.

The sounds of ocean waves and the occasional foghorn drifted up the hill, mixing with birds chirping.

"This will be a building surrounded by trees and nature," said Joshua Dodson, construction project manager. "It's going to be very impressive, something green, sustainable, and something the community can be proud of."

O'Connor hopes to move into the new $12 million facility in fall 2008. Construction documents should be ready to submit by the end of this year, so bidding can start, and construction can begin in the spring.

Oregon Coast Community College, with about 3,000 students, is considered the second-smallest community college in Oregon, but O'Connor believes the new campus will result in an enrollment boost.

He expects two to three times as many students within 10 years.

The college also is aiming at building new facilities in Lincoln City and Waldport, and flexing its strong ties to Oregon State University, including new nursing and aquarium science programs.

Better programs, a respectable campus and new buildings will allow the college to stress another unique advantage.

"If I was a surfer, where in the world would I want to go to school?" asked Lincoln County Commissioner Terry Thompson, only half joking.

Thompson, one of the first instructors at the college, was excited about the promise of the Newport campus.

"I think it's the single biggest thing for improving the community's economic vitality in the future," he added.

Locals passed a $23.5 million bond measure in 2004 for the creation of the new college sites, and the state kicked in an additional $4.5 million. With other contributions and interest, that has grown to $30 million for the project.

Oregon Coast Community College's aquarium program is linked to OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center, and the college aims to create a new building there.

Despite the pending developments, the college has already made great leaps since being created in 1987, as an outgrowth of the Lincoln County School District.

When O'Connor became president in 1990, the average student's age was about 53, and classes were geared more toward hobbies and community education.

Now the average age is younger than 28, and the school focuses on college transfer and workforce education courses.

"We've grown to become a comprehensive community college. … More and more of the students are going full-time," though the majority still attend part-time, O'Connor said.

And the college, despite its downtown location, is much larger than it used to be. Fifteen years ago, most of the classes had to be held off-campus.

The new campus will be surrounded with commercial and residential developments, and O'Connor said that will also help it succeed.

Hiking and biking trails will connect to adjacent Mike Miller Park.

O'Connor's jeep bounced up a dirt road to the new campus site a few weeks ago.

"We're blazing a trail through here," O'Connor said. He hopes plenty of people will follow.

Reporter Kyle Odegard writes about the Oregon Coast the first Thursday of every month. He can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.

At a glance

What: Oregon Coast Community College

Where: Newport and Lincoln County

Enrollment: About 3,000 students

History: Established in 1990; planning $30 million worth of facility improvements, including a campus in the South Beach area

Information: www.occc.cc.or.us