A Good Decision . . .

The decision last week by the Pierce College Council to develop part of the school farm was the right one--however regrettable it may be to develop it at all. Plans for an 18-hole golf course and new agricultural buildings now go before the Los Angeles Community College District board, which should approve the proposal as a way to help Pierce rebuild its finances and its campus, both of which are falling apart.

Pierce has few options. Enrollment at the Woodland Hills campus sank to 12,200 this year, about half what it was just a decade ago. The school is saddled with a $650,000 deficit--although that is about half what it has carried in years past. Its buildings and facilities are in sad shape. Frustrated by the lagging performance of what was once one of the community college district’s jewels, the board of trustees in November refused to renew President Bing Inocencio’s contract.

Despite his shortcomings, Inocencio deserves credit for helping push development of the farm forward. It earned him the wrath of neighbors, environmentalists and others who want to see the farm preserved. Losing a piece of the San Fernando Valley’s agricultural past is a sad prospect indeed. For 50 years, the farm at the southeast corner of Victory Boulevard and DeSoto Avenue has prepared generations of students for careers in agriculture, horticulture and veterinary science.

But times change. Although still popular, the farm is not nearly as critical to Pierce’s long-term mission as it was when the campus trained young farmers. Critics complain that the Pierce administration has let the farm languish in recent years. That neglect, farm supporters argue, allows pro-development administrators to point to the land as an idle asset. Lacking from that argument, however, is a credible plan that balances preservation with Pierce’s very real financial needs.

The deal approved last week would generate at least $800,000 annually for 20 years. The developer estimates his payments to the school could be as high as $1 million a year. In exchange, the school would surrender 145 acres of farmland, which would be developed as a golf course and driving range. The developer would also build about $3 million worth of agricultural facilities on the southeast edge of the school along Winnetka Avenue.

It’s a good deal, as long as developer Eddie Milligan is held to his financial commitments and school administrators do not squander the proceeds. The money should go directly where it’s needed most: to shore up sagging buildings, to bolster academic materials, to supply students and teachers with the tools they need to make Pierce a competitive school again.

The board of trustees--not to mention students and faculty who stand to benefit most from the money--must monitor the agreement and its execution to ensure that selling off a piece of Pierce’s past truly does help secure its future.