Structural safety concerns in the Flint Center will result in a year long closure of the building, suspending all programing from June 2019 until June 2020.

“The year-long suspension of scheduling is regrettable and our board truly struggled with one of the most difficult decisions in our district’s history,” Foothill-De Anza Chancellor Judy Miner said in an email to staff and faculty.

These structural concerns date back to 2014 when the Flint Center, as well as the Flint Parking Garage, were both assessed for their seismic life safety standards. The preliminary evaluations concluded that both buildings needed renovations in order to improve their safety.

The Flint Parking Garage’s renovation was given top priority as it’s repairs were considered most urgent.

After the garage’s completion in summer 2016 a more detailed assessment was conducted for the Flint Center in January 2019. The assessment will determine exactly what needs to be done in order to make the building safe again, and the time it will take to complete.

The findings will not be revealed until April this year.

The Flint Center hosted 80 events in the 2018-19 year. In an email to La Voz, manager of the Flint Center, Paula Davis said, “approximately 12 events calendared from September thru December of this year that were ready to go to contract and will now be forced to find a new performance location.”

The Flint Center staff consists of seven full time employees. The newest employee has been with the building for over 10 years, while the most senior employee has 24 years of service with the company.

Unsure of what the results will show, the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees has decided to simply close the building as a safety precaution. The board decided at its Feb. 4 to not commit to any bookings that would potentially have to be cancelled depending on the results, for the 2019-2020 season.