COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS : Campus to Be City Disaster Center

College of the Canyons will serve as an emergency operating center for the city of Santa Clarita under an agreement approved recently by the Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees.

City officials chose the college because of its location and structurally sound buildings, said Carolyn Wells, the city’s emergency preparedness coordinator.

The present City Hall cannot be used for emergencies or disasters because of its location in a office building that has an abundance of glass. Ultimately, the center will be housed in the new City Hall, scheduled for completion in 1996.

Wells said the center at the college will serve as a central command post for emergency operations and will provide communication, support and supplies for the city’s Disaster Management Team.

Under the five-year agreement, the city will buy a power generator to assure continued operation during power outages.

The college will retain ownership of the generator, a roof-mounted antenna and other equipment when the contract expires.

After that, the college may be used as a backup center.

“I think it’s great that the city has enough interest and concern for its people to do this and that the college is a part of it,” said Cal Allsup, the college’s director of facilities.

Wells said she knows of few colleges who also serve as emergency centers. “I think it is probably quite unusual for a college to take that much interest--to step out and allow its facilities to be used in this way,” she said.

“Many times, cities have designated backup sites, but often fail to incorporate them in emergency testing and training,” she said.

The city will conduct periodic drills and exercises at the college to test its own response and recovery capabilities. Within the year, community-wide exercises will be scheduled.

Classes will not be disrupted by center activities, officials said.

“I think the idea of the city is not to cause any problems for COC, but to provide a service to the city,” Trustee Linda Cubbage said.