The Foothill-De Anza Community College District is building a 50,000 square foot education center in Moffett Park with bond money received from Measure C.
The center will replace the Onizuka Air Force Station, commonly referred to as the “Blue Cube.” The cube served as a satellite operations facility for 50 years, but after its closure in 2010, it serves only as a vacant monument.
The cube will be demolished in the coming months, but several parts will be salvaged and reused in the construction of the new building. For example, the blue tiles on the walls of the cube will be recycled into walkway tiles.
Upon completion of the education center in fall 2016, the Foothill-De Anza District will see boosts in enrollment capacity, adding up to 2,000 students with this new facility. Higher enrollment means more funding for programs and services, which will greatly benefit students.
“It’s located in Moffett Park, which is one of Silicon Valley’s premiere technology/business parks with tenants including Yahoo, NetApp, Juniper Networks, HP, Microsoft, Bloom Energy” said Becky Bartindale, coordinator of district communications.
Having such prominent hightech companies as neighbors will give students a unique advantage that could lead to future internship and employment opportunities.
“New programs will include quality assurance, mobile apps, a networking training center, cyber security, digital design, computer sciences/technology and energy efficiency,” according to a San Jose Mercury News article.
The projected cost of demolition, construction and management for the new education center is $30 million, which is covered by Measure C funds.
Measure C provided the Foothill-De Anza District with $490.8 million to be spent towards various upgrades, repairs, and the Media & Learning Center on the De Anza campus.
