Gilroy – It’s been more than a year since a $108-million bond
for Gavilan College facility upgrades and expansion was passed by
voters, and no physical changes have been made to the campus. But
that doesn’t mean college officials aren’t working on it.
Gilroy – It’s been more than a year since a $108-million bond for Gavilan College facility upgrades and expansion was passed by voters, and no physical changes have been made to the campus. But that doesn’t mean college officials aren’t working on it.
The first $30 million bond was issued last year, which means the school has three years to spend it.
While the thought of going on a $30-million shopping spree might bring images of one running through store aisles, arms spread, dumping whatever you can reach into a cart – this is not exactly the approach Gavilan is taking.
“We want to be very careful in how we go through with this,” said Gavilan president Steve Kinsella. “We don’t want to act too quickly and misuse funds.”
All monetary decisions must first be approved by a Citizens Oversight Committee as well as Gavilan’s board of trustees.
Based upon 2003 projections, the region spanning from south San Jose to San Benito County should experience a 74-percent student population increase by 2020, and by 2030, 93 percent. The need for expanding Gavilan’s campus is substantial, Kinsella said.
Negotiations for a parcel of land in Coyote Valley are underway.
“We are very active in the procurement process,” he said.
The site is ideal for drawing students outside Gilroy to the campus, without diverting them from attending the one in Gilroy. But the school cannot simply throw down money for the land and start building.
First architects, consultants and engineers were hired to evaluate the acquisition sites.
Following an environmental assessment, if all reports are acceptable, and price negotiations fair, an educational center and several instruction buildings will be constructed. Initially the new campus will house 1,000 students. Over a 15- to 20-year span, if growth follows projected expectations, the campus will expand its attendance to 10,000.
If that plan seems too futuristic, look at Gavilan’s immediate building projects.
“We really only felt we could get those things of immediate need,” Kinsella said. Immediate need for students means: Air conditioning and heating systems in all academic buildings. Without it, students would not be in a comfortable learning environment, he said.
One of the next scheduled improvements is the implementing of a new computerized management and information system, which may take between a year and 18 months to complete.
The first physical change to the Gilroy campus will be an be upgraded tennis courts, as well as repairs and renovations on existing structures. There is no timeline in place yet.
But antsy Gilroy residents remember: Change doesn’t come overnight, and Gavilan wasn’t built in a day.
“This money is way too hard to come by,” Kinsella said. “So it may take a little longer.”
What:
Citizen Oversight Committee
When:
Monday, April 25, 6 to 7pm
Where:
Student Center at Gavilan College, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd.
Gavilan College
