Hillsborough College adjusting plans for Rays stadium

Six Hillsborough College is changing up its plans for its North Delmabry campus. It'll still be torn down to make way for the new Tampa Bay Rays Stadium. And while the college will be rebuilt, the initial plan to hold classes in some temporary buildings on the campus is actually changing. Fox 13's Aaron Mesmer is live at HCC this evening to explain here. So, Aaron, first of all, how are students and parents reacting to this? I mean, where will students be housed? Yeah, exactly. I mean, there are some questions here, but some parents some students say that they know they're going to need to be flexible over the next few years, and they're excited to see where things go. But others say there is just so much uncertainty right now, it makes them a little worried. Students at Hillsborough College's Northdale-Mabry campus know that changes are coming. As long as all the courses are still available and we're able to have access to everything that we need, I don't see it as a problem. Some families, however, aren't as excited, especially after learning HCC is revising its plans for what they've dubbed The Nest. That's the location for temporary mobile buildings on campus during construction of the Tampa Bay Rays' new stadium. At a city council meeting this week, HCC president Dr. Ken Atwater unveiled new renderings and said under the new plan, no classes would take place at the Nest. This is how he explained that decision. You're going to portables, you're going to be right next to a big construction project that's going on. How will that or will that negatively impact our learning? Atwater says the new plan is to hold classes at USF's Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation in downtown Tampa and in office buildings at Tampa Bay Park, less than a mile from campus. The Nest, meanwhile, will be the temporary place for things like administrative and student services, the library and bookstore. Atwater hoped to reassure council members about the long-term outlook. The opportunity to actually have brand new 21st century learning spaces. I mean, I like to say this, it's a generational opportunity for us to do that. Reconstruction of the college should have happened before the stadium gets built, but instead they've got it backwards. HCC's future continues to worry some students and parents, like Laura Lawson. She's concerned about the impact on her daughter's education. I believe that that... The core mission of the college is being compromised because it has become subordinate, subject to this Rays' stadium plan. And Atwater made these plans public yesterday during the city council meeting. That's also when council approved a $21 million community benefits package. That's the money that the raise will have to pay to the community over the next five years. Allie. So, Aaron, how many students actually take classes there at the Northdale-Mabry campus? And will the college be providing transportation at all? Yeah, those are a good couple questions there, Allie, and part of that was at least addressed yesterday. 22,000 to 27,000 people or so take classes here, we're told, to the main campus for HCC. That's a lot of people that could be impacted by something like this. Dr. Atwater has said they are planning on having shuttle services between here and those other places that students would be located during that process of construction of the Ray Stadium. Okay, Aaron Mesmer, live for us tonight. Aaron, thank you.