Public Safety is moving from Building 12 to Building 15 as Bond 20-306 goes into effect.
By Dallas Wiltgen
Lane Community College is finally preparing for a massive approximately $14 million relocation of Public Safety from Building 12 to Building 15. Funded by Bond Measure 20-306, this transition marks a new era for the department under the leadership of Public Safety Director Lisa Rupp, a Lane veteran of 29 years.
Rupp, who began her journey at the college as a student and work-study officer, rose to interim chief in 2018 before taking on the role permanently in 2020. Now, she is a part of a project that finally provides her team with a permanent home.
The move addresses longstanding infrastructure issues, Rupp says. Since 2018, Public Safety has occupied Building 12 after its previous modular trailers began rotting. This new project utilizes the approx $14 million budget in purposeful stages, focusing on a full renovation of Building 15’s interior. Goodhew was not able for comment on what quadrant of campus this will take place in.
The first floor will serve as a community and tactical hub, featuring a garage for the department’s fleet and a classroom designed to host regional law enforcement training, self-defense courses, among other classes.
The first floor will also be shared with other departments.The second floor serves as the department’s main center. Rupp confirmed the layout includes a modern lobby, a dispatch center and a squad room. The floor plan also includes command staff offices, a briefing room, an evidence storage facility and full locker rooms. This expansion ensures that as the college grows, the department will have the environment necessary to maintain a high standard of service.
According to Thomas Goodhew, architect and manager for Capital Construction, the timing of this project was a strategic piece of a larger puzzle on campus. “The timeline for the new Public Safety office is related to construction logistics,” Goodhew explained. He noted that once the college decided to build the new Industry and Trades Education Center Building 33 and eventually move much of Building 12, moving Public Safety became a sequenced priority.
Building 15 remained in use for classes until the ITEC building opened, while Building 12 served as a vital warehouse for furnishings during the critical science lab upgrades in Building 16. “We also wanted to limit the scope of disruption in that section of campus,” Goodhew said. “With ITEC construction wrapped up and Building 16 work completed by the fall ’26 term, we have the manpower to oversee the work and the space to do the construction.”
Construction crews began the project last week, securing the site with fencing and signage. Before the upcoming commencement ceremony in June, teams will excavate the hillside near Building 15 to create official parking and begin interior demolition. Once graduation concludes on June 13, major changes begin.
Crews will close Eastway Drive to remove the existing raised platform between Building 15 and the Center Building, and widen the road from one to two lanes. This upgrade significantly reduces response times and streamlines campus deliveries.
Public Safety is scheduled to move to Building 15 around March 2027. This move-in-date marks a major milestone for the college’s infrastructure. “With that move, the final major scope of the Bond program will be completed with the demolition of the eastern portion of Building 12 and related site improvements,” Goodhew confirmed. Measure 20-306, the LCC Bond passed in May 2020 and it funded renovations and upgrades to provide a “new chapter in innovation, safety and excellence.”
Some of the projects include seismic upgrades to older buildings as they no longer meet structural codes. The bond also covers major security camera replacements and additions and many site improvements. For more information look on the LCC website for Bond 20-306.
For Rupp, the transition culminated nearly 30 years of service to the college. To ensure no student or staff member is left in the dark about the changes, the bond team is planning an aggressive marketing campaign to highlight the new location.
