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Farmhouses scheduled for demolition
Two houses in the agricultural area will be destroyed to make room for parking
Shannon Berry / Roundup
The houses on El Rancho Drive are scheduled to be demolished in early October to make room for the relocation of Swinerton Management & Consulting offices.
Until recently, one of the houses on El Rancho Drive housed the farm’s agriculture technician, Bill Lander, his wife and two sons. The family also had two dogs and two horses.
Lander lived on the campus and was employed almost 30 years as the agricultural technician and equestrian manager at Pierce College.
“I was living there for over 25 years,” Lander said. “In February, I received a call saying that I needed to be out by the first of June. They threw us out in the street.”
But Lander’s main concern is still the animals.
“Now, who are the trained employees that will respond to an emergency?” he asked. “Who will take care of the animals? I was there for any type of emergency with the animals. Ask the administration: Who’s going to be there when a horse gets out?”
Lander is a recognized expert in animal and crop production for the county and city of Los Angeles. He oversees about 18 horses, 36 cattle, 50 to 60 chickens and 60 goats, along with a number of other animals.
“I believe we always need to have a trained agricultural specialist on the campus, 365 days a year and 24 hours a day,” said Dr. Leiland Shapiro, pre-veterinary science program director and profes- sor of animal sciences. “There are plenty of other locations where Swinerton can place its trailers. The farm should be reserved for our animals and farm personnel.”
According to David Tsao, college project manager of Swinerton Management & Consulting, Swinerton will be on campus for the next four to five years.
“We have outgrown our current office space. It is only big enough to hold 12 people,” Tsao said.
Tsao further stated the new office will hold 20 people. The area will be fenced off for the new temporary trailer, as well as a private parking lot. The lot will comprise an estimated 24 to 25 spaces.
Robert Garber, former Pierce College president, made the decision for Swinerton to relocate their offices.
“He wants to keep us all together for more efficiency,” Tsao said. “It was up to the college. The district already approved the construction contract.”
Pierce, originally Clarence W. Pierce Junior College, started out as a school for agriculture.
Founded in 1947, the school’s main disciplines were those focused on agricultural techniques, landscaping and herding. The houses have been on the campus since the beginning.
“The importance of these homes was, and still is, to provide security for our farm, farm animals, farm equipment and irrigation lines during evening hours, holidays and weekends,” Shapiro said. “In addition, these personnel are the first individuals counted on when we have disasters and need facilities for our community.”
According to Lander, Garber regarded the buildings as old and indicated he did not like them. Lander said there was a master plan that was supposed to be executed under which the houses were going to be modernized.
“The administration says they support the farm, but it looks like they want it to perish,” Lander said.
