Pima Community College will host a neighborhood open house and barbecue Thursday to mark the opening of its new 29th Street Coalition Center, housed in the former Roberts Elementary School.
The transformed school, at 4355 E. Calle Aurora, is now home to PCC's Public Safety and Emergency Services Institute and one of its three adult education divisions.
"The 29th Street Coalition welcomed Pima with open arms into their neighborhood," said Bill Ward, the college's assistant vice chancellor for facilities. "This little get-together is our way of thanking them and showing how honored we are to be part of the fabric of their lives."
The open house is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. It will include escorted tours.
The college is leasing the school for five years, at $70,000 per year, from the Tucson Unified School District, which closed the campus in 2010 as a cost-saving measure.
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PCC agreed to spend at least $300,000 to renovate the 43,000-square-foot building and improve parking, the college said in a news release.
With this new location, PCC can end leases it has for two other facilities at a combined annual savings of $240,000, the college said.
The PCC center also is serving as a temporary home of the Eckstrom-Columbus Branch of the Pima County Public Library while the library's building is renovated.
