Colleges counting on bond

Deirdre Newman

The goal for officials with the Coast Community College District

during the next few months can be narrowed to a single number: 55.

That number represents the majority vote they need from residents

living within their district to pass a $370-million bond to fund a

host of facility improvements at the three district campuses.

District officials say the bond is necessary to modernize the

library at Golden West College, to renovate the auditorium in the

Moore Theater at Orange Coast College and to construct a permanent

building for Westminster Learning Center at Coastline Community

College.

“I see the need at the ground level,” said Peter Green -- who has

been teaching at Golden West for more than three decades -- at the

July meeting. “The air conditioning and heat are antiquated, it’s

extremely energy inefficient. I would like to see the district look

as good as it did when I came 30 years ago.”

Mary Boticella, chief executive officer of Huntington Beach

Hospital, said the bond could be a huge boon for the nursing program

at Golden West.

“The nursing profession and hospitals are critically in need of an

increasing number of trained nurses like those trained by community

colleges,” Boticella said at the July meeting. “[The bond] would

provide new and improved buildings and improve the number of nurse

trainees by 50-80% at Golden West.”

If the bond passes, Orange Coast College would receive

approximately $199 million; Golden West College would get about $95

million; Coastline Community College would take in about $66 million;

and the district would receive approximately $9 million for replacing

temporary buildings on all three campuses.

Just how big that “if” is remains to be seen.

The board of trustees approved placing the bond on the November

ballot on July 31, and while it already has considerable support in

the community, the next few months are critical to garner the needed

55% majority vote.

The district is now in the process of putting together an

independent campaign committee that will further educate the

community on exactly what the bond will be used for.

Money from voters

Only voters who live within the district’s boundary area -- which

includes Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Fountain

Valley, Westminster and portions of Garden Grove -- will be voting on

the bond. If it passes, they will pay approximately $16.76 more

annually per $100,000 assessed home valuation until the bond is paid

off. While that depends on how quickly the assessed valuation grows

in the boundary area, a conservative estimate is 2044, said Erin

Cohn, the district’s spokeswoman.

About 60% of the district’s students live within the boundary

area, Cohn said.

District officials said they worked with faculty, the classified

staff and students to identify a bare bones, fiscally responsible

list of needed repairs.

In addition to the bond, the district is also hoping to receive

approximately $2 million from a massive statewide bond if it passes

in November. These funds would be used for the plans and working

drawings for campuswide repairs at Golden West College and a new

Orange Coast College library.

Officials have also been able to identify an additional guaranteed

$100 million from other funding sources over the next 10 to 15 years,

since the total improvement price tag is $470 million.

In March, officials floated the bond concept to the community in a

preliminary survey. Over the past few months, staff and consultants

have been busy crunching numbers and making further contact with the

community to continue gauging its level of support.

Although the exact amount of the bond was not disclosed to the

community during the surveys, the response has been extremely

favorable, said Chancellor William Vega in July.

“With few exceptions, the community members agree -- improving

facilities is a priority,” Vega said.

Strong support, so far

A tremendous degree of support for the bond was evident during the

July meeting.

Many residents articulated their belief that the three district

colleges present the only feasible alternative for many students who

might not otherwise attend college.

“The community college system is the most cost-effective way for

the have-nots to get an education and get out of the ghetto of

ignorance,” said Ralph Bauer, a Huntington Beach City Council member.

Simon Tsung, president of the Asian Business Coalition, said the

colleges are instrumental in educating Asian students from middle

class families overseas.

“It’s something they don’t have,” Tsung said. “Let’s continue the

momentum in America. It doesn’t just help the community, it helps our

future.”

If the passage of a major facilities improvement program in the

Newport-Mesa Unified School District is any indication, the success

of a bond depends on community involvement.

Newport-Mesa started the assessment process for its comprehensive

facilities improvement program, known as Measure A, about two years

before trustees approved putting the bond to the voters, said Mike

Fine, former assistant superintendent. It also created an advisory

committee more than a year in advance of the vote that included

community participation.

“Our community bought into the fact that the needs that were

identified were in fact real needs,” Fine said. “They were, if you

will, meat and potatoes. There was nothing thrown in there.”

The $110-million bond passed two years ago with 72.1% of the vote.

Although the community college district does not have the luxury

of so much time, it can still accomplish the same ends by selling a

“complete, thorough and thoughtful” bond plan, Fine said.

Even with all the advance planning, there were still many in the

district who weren’t sure that the bond would pass.

“In [the Newport-Mesa] community ... you can’t take anything for

granted,” Fine said. “You have to be prepared to address

[everything.]”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN is a reporter for Times Community News. She may

be reached at (949) 574-4221 or by e-mail at

deirdre.newman@latimes.com.