Memories, Laughs & a Legacy

This archived article was written by: Stacey Graven

A wonder to many is the demolition of the Student Activity Center (SAC) building. The fences went up surrounding the building in January and the question is, “when is the SAC building coming down?” Eric Mantz, associate vice chancellor and associate professor of business, provided an answer.
The SAC building demolition is a dissonant event for people who were associated with it, a bitter sweet, so to speak. Many worked in that building for quite a time. Nonetheless, it was an event that couldn’t be avoided. Even though the process of the demolition is slow, it’s still coming to a close.
Mantz, along with a colleague in Logan, provided a time-line of the events. Layton Construction Company received the bid and the first complication discovered was asbestos in the building. Before the building can be torn down, the asbestos abatement has to be completed. This should be finished by Feb. 16 or 17. This was also the cause for delay.
Next, they will begin unhooking the utilities. “These utilities had to remain in place for use of tools in taking out the asbestos,” Mantz said.
Next is the main point of this process, one that many have been waiting to see. It’s the demolition.
The demolition of the SAC building will be completed in about three to four weeks, which is about March 10 or 11. Next comes the restoration of the grounds that will be left once the building comes down.
The restoration of this land is about three to four weeks after the building comes down. By the middle of April, the results of this whole process will be seen.
The intentions of the space following the tear down is a green field of grass. “It’s a place where the students could sit out and relax once the weather warms up,” Mantz said. In the future, a possibility for this green field is a “clock tower landscape with various walkways surrounding it. This is the master plan.
The SAC building was built in 1937 and is the only remaining building left from the original campus of Carbon College. It is one of three buildings that created the campus 79 years ago and housed many departments over its lifetime including trade and technical classes, the student center, and most recently, home of The Eagle newspaper.