Measure E funds renovations, expansion
GILROY
Gavilan Community College will expand its campus into Coyote Valley and Hollister thanks to funds from Measure E, a facilities improvement bond passed by voters in 2004. Although the bond’s $108 million will fund only the site acquisition stages of the new campuses, the selection and purchase of the land is already underway.
With $40 million budgeted for its expansion projects alone, the college has devoted the remaing funds to upgrading its current campus. No new construction is included in the price tag for Gavilan’s expansion into Coyote Valley and Hollister. This has allowed the college to stay on budget, said President Steven Kinsella.
The decision to establish campuses in Morgan Hill and Hollister was first discussed four years ago when 25 community representatives from Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister convened and decided that simply expanding the Gilroy campus would not properly accommodate all students served by the district.
The City of San Jose’s development of Coyote Valley will produce a city with a population of 75,000. The Gavilan Joint Community College District encompasses southern Santa Clara County and most of San Benito County. In the northern most part of the district, Coyote Valley will need facilities, said Kinsella.
With 40 percent of its existing students commuting from Hollister and the new students that will come from Coyote Valley, the college is in the process of purchasing a site in Coyote Valley and has identified a site in Hollister. The college is waiting for the completion of a due diligence process which will evaluate the appropriateness of the land in Hollister for a community college. The site is at the corner of Fairview Road and Airline Highway.
Additionally, a district growth analysis projects a student population at the main campus in Gilroy of more than 13,000 by 2030. When the bond was passed in 2004, that campus was home to only 5,000 students. Since tuition prices of state universities have increased in past years, more students are relying on Gavilan for job training and preparation for four-year colleges. With buildings over 40 years old on its existing campus, the college proposed the bond to make essential repairs and upgrades to meet the needs of today’s students.
In order to stick to the projected budget, the college spent two years on planning the projects that would be covered by Measure E funds, Kinsella said.
“The bond narrowly passed,” he said. “It was very clear from the beginning that we could only ask the voters for a certain amount.” No new construction was included in the plans but major renovations were necessary to update the Gilroy campus.
So far, a number of projects have been finished. A $1 million repair to the boiler was completed a year ago.
“Last year was our first season with heat!” Kinsella said.
Several infrastructure upgrades to the electrical system were also top priority and had to happen before any other renovations could be done. Currently, the college is renovating the cluster of buildings in the science complex that will be finished this June and should be ready for use in the fall, right on schedule, Kinsella said. The arts and humanities buildings are the next group that will receive attention and the modernization necessary to bring them into the 21st century. The project’s $5.7 million price tag, as shown on the list of proposed projects, will include the replacement of the buildings’ antiquated ventilation, heating, lighting and airconditioning systems.
A deficit of $8 million was initially projected, but some projects came in under budget and additional state funding was provided for 50 percent of the cost of the physical education building. Kinsella expects the state to fund half of the library upgrades and all of the student center upgrades.
“We’re right on target,” Kinsella said.
