Construction Notebook

Southwestern College moved one step closer to beginning construction of the corner lot development for its main campus in Chula Vista, including new classroom space and a bookstore.

Funded by Proposition R, which California voters approved in November 2008, the project is the largest new development since the college's original construction in 1961.

The Southwestern College Governing Board selected Echo Pacific Construction, Inc., of Escondido, to implement the design at its monthly Board meeting on Wednesday night.

Once complete, the 110,000-square-foot project will include a new college bookstore, classroom space, food court, art gallery, culinary arts program, wellness center, administrative offices, conference space and police station.

The development, which will be located on the college's corner lot at the H Street and Otay Lakes Road, will generate dozens of construction jobs and incorporate modern green building techniques.

The designer is BCA Architects, whose design combines the Mayan style present on the campus with today's standards for innovative and environmentally sound architecture.

Sustainability will also play a major role in the facility's planning, design and construction.

Native drought-tolerant plants will be used in landscaping to decrease the dependency on water, individual thermal zones and occupancy sensors will monitor and control the use of heating and air conditioning, and low VOC materials will be used to maintain air quality.

Construction waste will be recycled and recycled materials will be used where possible.

The project is scheduled to break ground October 2010 for completion in August 2012.

Echo Pacific builds projects for both public and private entities throughout Southern California, including institutional structures of many types, facilities for fire and safety, parks and recreation, and religious facilities.

Echo Pacific was awarded 2007, 2008 & 2009 "Excellence in Construction Awards" by the ABC San Diego Chapter, 2009 Build San Diego Award of Merit by the AGC of San Diego and was recognized as the 2007 Contractor of the Year by the AGC of San Diego.

RSI Roofing, of San Diego, announced the hiring of John Sawaya as the new operations manager.

He has 31 years of experience, with six of those years as the operations manager at another local roofing contractor.

Before that, Sawaya was the general manager at Aztec Roofing for 22 years.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- San Francisco officials say the construction site where a worker was trapped in a collapsed ditch for almost four hours lacked the proper building permit.

The permit issued to Brian MacNamara Construction of San Francisco apparently did not include permission to dig a trench.

The worker fell into the trench around 1 p.m. Tuesday when his deck collapsed. Fire officials say he was buried up to his neck in the soil. It took rescue workers until about 5 p.m. to dig him out.

He was treated and released from San Francisco General Hospital.

Bill Strawn, spokesman for the city Building Inspection Department, said construction at the site has been halted and that the construction company will be fined $1,000.

State safety officials are investigating the incident.