Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Public Safety facilities

As part of the 2017 bond, the college is investing in improvements to the Public Safety areas at different campuses. At Cascade Campus, the existing offices are being renovated including a new layout, technology upgrades as well as mechanical system and roof updates. In addition, a new dispatch is planned for this campus. The Public Safety office and dispatch at Sylvania Campus will be also remodeled involving an upgrade to the existing technology used by the dispatch. Lastly, the space used by the Public Safety staff at Southeast Campus will be remodeled delivering a more comfortable and inviting layout.

Tree survey: completed

PCC Sylvania and Rock Creek are both recognized by Tree Campus USA, a program that helps colleges and universities around the country establish and sustain healthy community forests. In an effort to survey this important college asset, P&CC contracted with Bartlett Tree Experts to inventory the trees at our campuses and centers. The information collected is available in an electronic database that will aid in our planning for tree health-risk management and maintenance.

Carolyn Moore Writers House improvements

PCC is the recipient of the Carolyn Moore Writers’ House in Tigard. The property was owned by the late Oregon poet Carolyn Moore, who in her estate asked a number of colleges and universities to submit a proposal to use the house as a writers’ residency. This will be the first writers’ residency in the nation to be hosted at a community college.

The house along with nine acres of land will be used by PCC to host emerging professional writers with the first writer anticipated to begin a residency in Fall 2021.

The college performed improvements to the house to accommodate the needs of the future residents. These improvements include connection to the city water, gas connection and furnace upgrades, kitchen remodel to increase accessibility, bathrooms and plumbing fixtures upgrades, paint, furnishing, and outdoor deck work.

HVAC controllers standardization

This upgrade will replace the existing TAC-branded controllers for the heat, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to match PCC standards. This project will increase the reliability of the HVAC control system.

Implementation of this project will touch five buildings in Cascade Campus, Southeast Campus’ Mt. Tabor Hall and Mt. Scott Hall, Sylvania’s College Services Building (CSB), and potentially the Downtown Center.

HVAC system controls upgrade: completed

Northwest Control Company updated the Energy Management System that controls the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units (HVAC) at all PCC campuses and centers. Replacing the system’s controllers across the college will increase HVAC speed and efficiency. The work was performed in partnership with PCC Facilities Management Services.

Design standards: completed

Working in close collaboration with the PCC Facilities Management Services team, the update to the PCC’s Design Standards is complete. The Design Standards serve as a quality assurance guide for the design and construction of all capital projects and are used by our consultants and internal teams.

Roof fall hazard safety assessment: completed

As part of planning and risk management for the college, LJB Inc. was hired to perform a roof fall hazard safety assessment. This civil and structural engineering firm, which specializes in geospatial and safety services, used drone technology to gather images of roofs across our campuses and centers. The consultant visited each site to visually assess each building’s roof sections and cross-check the data gathered by drone.

Data center improvements

PCC is upgrading and replacing its aging data center backup system and servers, which are located at Sylvania Campus and serve all of the college’s campuses. The servers in the data center manage the majority of PCC’s critical applications, including its website, email, and Banner. (Banner securely maintains and updates data in key areas such as finances, human resources, and enrollment services.)

Classroom digital conversion

This project is converting PCC classroom podiums from analog to digital technology, allowing users to better manage multimedia content and present educational material effectively and in a visually engaging way. The podium touch screen control panels that allow instructors to switch inputs, and control/mute volume are being standardized across the district. An important upgrade to newly finished classrooms is the introduction of height-adjustable tables.

This project also includes upgrading the college’s digital signage, a content management system that provides campus and building communication on digital displays and other devices.

Network optimization

PCC is upgrading and optimizing the network infrastructure that controls the applications the college relies on for data transmission, including email and web services. This work will improve the security, performance, and reliability of the network while reducing its complexity. The college is also upgrading its VolP servers and adding tools that improve network monitoring and response time.

Wireless access improvements

The improvements to wireless access will bring our wireless network up to date with new technologies and connection speeds. PCC students and staff would be able to rely even further on the wireless infrastructure for instructional use.

Distributed antenna system

Phase I of the distributed antenna system project will identify locations with low signal strength within buildings. Phase II will prioritize locations in need of signal enhancements and add new equipment to strengthen the public safety radio frequency within the buildings. An improved distributed antenna system allows first responders to communicate in case of emergencies.

Access control

The systems that control access to the different buildings and areas across the college facilities are being updated. Access control is the selective restriction of access to a place. It requires software and process implementation.

Mass notification system

This project will replace the existing system, which has reached its end of life. The new mass notification system will be able to text to cell phones, take over digital signage, be audible in and out of buildings, and be integrated with the fire alarm system, which will enhance the college’s ability to send notifications in emergency situations.

Public safety cameras

District-wide, the public safety camera storage will be updated to a virtual model for a more reliable and manageable solution.

Electronic security assessment: completed

To help ensure the safety of its campuses and centers, PCC’s consultant developed an electronic security plan for the entire college, assessing its current system, creating electronic security standards, and upgrading cameras in exterior as well as interior spaces.

Public safety voice recorder: completed

This project replaced Public Safety’s aging voice recorder system, ensuring that all phone calls – emergency as well as non-emergency – that are made to PCC’s Public Safety dispatch lines are recorded with high reliability and securely archived for retrieval.