Nearly 300 community members of the greater Soledad area came together Saturday morning,
Oct. 23, to experience and celebrate a source of pride and a transformational new asset for the
Salinas Valley – the Hartnell College Soledad Education Center.
The Hartnell Community College District (HCCD) invited residents of all ages to watch as it
formally cut the ribbon on the 16,750-square-foot center at 1505 Metz Road, which was
completed this spring and began offering classes in August.
Participants were able to tour the building and learn about becoming a student during the
upcoming Spring 2022 semester, which starts Jan. 24. The center at the corner of Metz and
Orchard Lane has a tutoring and study center known as the Panther Learning Lab, wet and dry
science labs and three state-of-the-art classrooms.
“This has been such a long time coming,” said Hartnell Governing Board President Erica
Padilla-Chavez, who represents Soledad as the district’s Area 6 trustee. “I've spoken to so many
folks who have lived here all their lives and who dreamed of one day having a Hartnell center
right here in Soledad. Well, it’s here now, and it’s for you. Today's celebration is about our
community coming together to make this happen.”
As Padilla-Chavez cut the ribbon, she was joined by current and former elected and appointed
officials from the City of Soledad, the Soledad Unified School District, Monterey County and the
California Legislature, as well as fellow Hartnell trustees Candi DePauw, Irma Lopez and
Alejandra Gonzalez.
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta provided a certificate of recognition, as did State Sen. Anna Caballero
(D-12) and Monterey County District 3 Supervisor Chris Lopez, who also attended in person,
joined by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-30).
Thanks to City of Soledad for project site
Padilla-Chavez hailed the City of Soledad’s decision to provide 3.7 acres for the center for just
one dollar, which allowed Hartnell to stretch its construction funds from the $167 million
Measure T bond. Soledad plans to build Orchard Lane Park immediately north of the center
within the next couple of years, creating a Wi-Fi-equipped green space right next door.
Soledad Mayor Anna Velazquez accepted an honorary key to the center, and she thanked
Padilla-Chavez personally for her “passion and commitment to making sure that we advance the
educational opportunities for our community – and for your tireless commitment to making this
happen today.
“I know Hartnell’s motto is putting ‘students first’, and today we see that coming to fruition,”
Velazquez said.
Padilla-Chavez also thanked voters for their support of the bond ballot measure in November
2016, which has funded not only the Soledad center, but also an expansion to double the size of
Hartnell’s 19-year-old King City Education Center and its new center in Castroville, scheduled
for completion in January. Other Measure T projects include a new Center for Nursing & Health
Sciences on the Main Campus in Salinas, expected to open in January.
She gave special recognition to Hartnell’s former superintendent/president Dr. Willard Lewallen,
who attended, for his embrace of building a satellite campus in Soledad, as well as other Measure
T projects, as she did for former Soledad mayor Fred Ledesma, also a longtime supporter of the
project.
Students and organizations join in event
Representing Soledad High School were its student band, which played the national anthem, and
its Naval Junior ROTC color guard and drill team. The local San Vicente Dance Team put on a
show, the Soledad Rotary Club provided and prepared a free hot dog and hamburger lunch, and
the Soledad Historical Society exhibited photos and documents. Hartnell staff and students
presented science demonstrations in the center’s parking lot, and a seven-minute video featuring
Soledad-area leaders, parents and students played throughout the event.
Hartnell’s Interim Superintendent/President Dr. Raul Rodriguez highlighted the center's
Community Room, which he encouraged local organizations to use.
“It's for you; it's for the public,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “Contact the staff to reserve it. We've
already had Rotary meetings and other organizations meet here, and we want to have many more
organizations from the community use this room.”
The morning’s final speaker was Soledad center student Maria Godoy, who at age 41 has
restarted her education to increase her business knowledge and strengthen her English skills. She
and her husband own a sign company in Soledad.
“I would like to thank all the supporters of the Soledad center for making it possible for students
like me to receive the opportunities this new center provides,” Godoy said.
Families envision center’s possibilities
Following the ceremony, families with young children walked the halls and stepped into
classrooms, envisioning where their youngsters – and they themselves – may one day attend
Hartnell classes. A common theme was the opportunity attend day and evening classes, avoiding
the drive to Salinas or King City and the transportation and food expenses that come with that
commute.
“Instead of going straight to a university, they have the opportunity to come here, as I do
myself,” said Soledad resident Pueblito Trujillo, who brought her daughter Ditza Dominguez,
nieces Lupe and Lucia Alonzo and their brother David with her to the grand opening.
Prior to the community celebration, the Hartnell College Foundation hosted donors and
interested supporters at a breakfast reception inside the center to highlight funders who have
helped raise nearly $3.2 million to help pay operating expenses at all three centers. Major donors
to the Soledad center include Huntington Farms, Tanimura Family Foundation, Harden
Foundation, Sally Hughes Church Foundation, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the Padilla-
Chavez family and the family of Hartnell Trustee Margaret D'Arrigo-Martin.
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