The Gavilan College Board of Trustees will decide tonight
whether to put a $108-million bond to voters next year. The board
will consider a bond measure that is about $30 million less than
what was discussed at three public forums held by the college over
the past two months.
The Gavilan College Board of Trustees will decide tonight whether to put a $108-million bond to voters next year.
The board will consider a bond measure that is about $30 million less than what was discussed at three public forums held by the college over the past two months.
The difference comes from a reduction in the amount of funds dedicated to future expansion projects. The current bond-funded project list includes $39,596,000 for expansion instead of $70 million.
“That had to do with the original community survey and the community advisory board’s first recommendations … that we would first maximize the facilities we have and then expand facilities,” said Jan Bernstein Chargin, Gavilan’s public information officer.
Fifty-five percent of voters casting ballots within the college district, which includes the Morgan Hill and Gilroy school districts and San Benito County, would have to vote yes for the bond issue to pass.
With money from a bond measure, expansion would begin at all three Gavilan sites in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister. The college would use $18 million to build a University Center on Gilroy’s campus, which would be used both for Gavilan classes and for hosting classes through San Jose State University.
About $8 million would be used to acquire land for a permanent, expanded facility in the Morgan Hill area – possibly in Coyote Valley.
“The lower amounts will allow us to get started, and then we’ll have to look at other sources of funding,” Chargin said. “When you are able to bring something to the table, you are able to start partnerships.”
The price tag for Gavilan’s higher priority projects to maximize the college’s existing facilities remains $68,404,000.
The regular Gavilan board meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Student Center’s north/south lounges.
