Plans to demolish the Music Building and rebuilding it are being discussed, although the reconstruction could take years to finalize.

The only certain construction work planned for the building is repairs to the elevator inside the building.

Loïc Audusseau, interim vice president of Administrative Services, said that architects met with El Camino College staff members regarding the building’s structure.

“They conducted an assessment of the building and came to a conclusion, walking with architects, that this building has a lot of deficiencies from a structural standpoint, and those deficiencies were beyond repair,” Audusseau said.

As for the tearing down and rebuilding of the Music Building, that process could take up to 10 years to complete.

Audusseau said the key word is “rescope.”

The building was built in 1955, and its technology, structural integrity and energy efficiency need improvement.

There are many factors that go into the rebuilding and price ranges for the future building.

Audusseau said that in 2020, ECC stakeholders, including faculty, administrators and classified employees, came together to create a vision for a new music building.

They had $42 million for a budget, including $21 million from the state and $21 million from local contributions.

But once more ideas formed, the estimates reached amounts that were clearly out of the budget.

“The 42 has never changed, it’s always been 42, that’s the allocation that was given to us by the state, that’s how much money we have to work with,” Audusseau said.

The world has changed since the first time the consultation group of ECC stakeholders came together.

There needs to be revisions made to the initial rescoping plans of the building, since it took place during COVID-19.

During the pandemic, instructions were delivered differently because of social distancing and masking, and some of the programs at ECC have changed since the pandemic.

The costs of things have gone up, which is a significant factor for the next rebuild.

Audusseau said if the project is over the budget, it will be very dependent on the district’s ability to pass a bond to make up for money that ECC does not have.

ECC plans to reform the consultation group with the help of ALMA Strategies LLC, a facilities and capital program planning services firms contracted by the district, to create a new vision that meets the budget.

Audusseau said that the goal is to have education prioritized over construction, meaning when this replacement is undergoing construction, students will be put in the best possible situation to learn during this time.