Community Colleges Prepare List of Projects to Be Funded by Bond

A training academy for deputies and firefighters, a performing arts center and new athletic fields may be among the first projects funded by the Ventura County Community College District’s $356-million construction bond.

Over the last several weeks, officials at the district and the three college campuses have been working to finalize the list of capital projects to be financed through the initial bond issue, which will total $105 million, said J. Handel Evans, the district’s bond management consultant.

Priority Projects

The priority projects include the $12.6-million performing arts center at Oxnard College, the $6.3-million athletic upgrades at Ventura College, a $15-million computer center and more parking spaces for Moorpark College students, $12 million worth of infrastructure work and a new student services building at Oxnard College and a $4.6-million renovation of Ventura College’s auditorium, according to the list.

“The bond was designed, in many ways, to solve problems,” Evans said.

In all, the $105 million will allow the district to begin, but not necessarily complete, work on 37 of the 62 projects that were included on the bond measure approved by county voters in March. Officials plan to break the bond program into four, two-year phases, and construction on most of the projects is not expected to begin until the second phase, Evans said.

Of the 37 projects, 15 are planned at Moorpark College, 13 at Ventura College and six at Oxnard College. The $22.6-million training facilities for firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, which are slated to be built at a site in Camarillo, and modernization of the district’s headquarters constitute the remaining projects.

Plans Could Change

Evans cautioned that the list, which must be approved by the district’s governing board, could still change, as could the amount dedicated to each project.

According to Moorpark College President James Walker, the projects that made the opening round at his campus weren’t necessarily the most critical.

In some instances, the college chose to begin with the ones that were the most feasible or unlikely to disrupt their campuses, he said.

“The projects in the first go-around are ones that don’t require a holistic look at the campus and can be done very soon,” he said. “When we do some of these is very critical because you don’t want to take on a project that is going to upset your educational process to the point where you lose students.”

At Moorpark, bond funds are being sought for construction of a satellite center in Thousand Oaks to be operated jointly with the Conejo Valley Unified School District, as well as planning work on a new child development center and a health science/math building.

Wall Street Meeting

The naming of the projects came as college district officials went to Wall Street on Monday seeking to fund the first phase of the voter-approved bond. A delegation that included Chancellor Phillip Westin, Deputy Chancellor Michael Gregoryk and Trustee Bob Gonzales met with analysts from two New York bond-rating agencies.

The meetings, in which the district presented data on its enrollment and financial health, were required so that analysts could rate the bonds and set the interest rate bondholders will receive, said district spokeswoman Pat Kistler.

Pending approval by the rating agencies, the first set of bonds will be sold next month, Evans said.

Effects on Taxpayer

Evans said the amount of money the district is borrowing through the first bond issue was set with the goal of minimizing the effect on the property owners whose taxes will repay the bonds.

Although officials have estimated that the bond would cost taxpayers an average of $18.97 per $100,000 of assessed value over the life of the program, the amount that property owners see when they get their next tax bills in late October could be less than that, Evans said.