By Linda Taaffe

School officials from the Foothill-De Anza College District scrapped renovation plans for Foothill’s student center recently after discovering an earthquake fault alongside the building.

Cleary Consultants, Soils Engineers, located a fault running under much of the Los Altos Hills campus last month during a preliminary study for the $248 million campus construction and renovation project funded by Measure E.

The Monta Vista fault meanders from under the child-care center and Fine Arts building to alongside the campus center and the Carriage House, a spokeswoman from the Chancellor’s office confirmed.

Officials expect a final report detailing the fault’s path by the end of this month, said Frank Nuñez, associate director of facilities, operations and construction management.

Nuñez said officials were aware that a fault existed on campus based on findings in the initial Environmental Impact Report completed when the college was first built in the 1960s. The exact location of the fault, however, was unclear.

The initial report placed the fault near the campus’ perimeter road, between the athletic area and the main campus, he said.

“This is very unusual, especially because there was the other EIR,” Nuñez said about the location of the fault.

Nuñez said the fault’s location will probably mean construction delays and more money, though he could not specify at the time the extent of either.

“It’s definitely had an impact on the campus center and the Master Plan. We can’t do the renovation anymore,” he said.

The district had planned to remodel and expand the center to house admissions and counseling offices and a book store.

State law prohibits the construction of buildings within 50 feet of a fault or an occupancy increase for existing buildings within 50 feet of a fault.

Nuñez said the district is scheduled to modify the master plan after the final report on the fault is completed this month.

The district could relocate the student center to another site, but the Measure E funds approved for the project provide only enough money for an expansion.