College of the Desert broke ground Thursday on its long-anticipated Palm Springs Campus, ending nearly two decades of planning for the site.

“As you probably know, this has taken even more than a village to get us to this day,” Interim President/Superintendent Laura Hope said, drawing laughter from the crowd gathered at the groundbreaking ceremony. “But we’re here. And that’s the most important thing.”

A voice in the crowd boomed, “That’s right.”

The campus will be located at the corner of South Farrell Drive and East Tahquitz Canyon Way, on the former Palm Springs Mall site, across from Palm Springs High School. Full report here