In 2004, voters in Maricopa County overwhelmingly agreed to spend nearly a billion dollars to renovate and build new facilities for their 10 community colleges.

With the projects going up during one of the most volatile construction periods in history, the Maricopa County Community College District found that the $951 million didn't go as far as MCCCD hoped.

Projects that started early in the bond period -- during the economic boom years of 2005 to 2008 -- were cut back, squeezed and reshaped. Then the recession hit and prices fell, so projects that started in the past few years have been able to expand and add some extras.

Colleges revamp expansion as economy booms, busts.pdf