Superintendent-President Dr. Lori Gaskin officially recommended to the Board of Trustees that City College place a $288 million bond on the November 2014 ballot.
A community poll was presented to the trustees on Thursday, May 8, with an overwhelmingly positive response.
“[The community] is rallying around the need,” Catherine Lew of the Lew Edwards Group said.
The Lew Edwards Group and Market and Opinion Research Services Inc. conducted the survey of 501 likely voters in the City College district. Similar surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2007.
Of the surveyed, 73 percent are in favor of a bond measure while 21 percent are not and seven percent are undecided. If the bond passes, the tax increase would be $16.65 per $100,000 of assessed property value. The average assessed value of homes in the City College district is $752,000 according to The Lew Edwards Group.
“City College is well above the 55 percent cushion,” Lew said.
The college administration has been working toward finalizing the need of the bond, called the Santa Barbara City College Education Improvement Measure, for the past year and has made a list of what the bond money may provide.
New Construction Projects
Campus Center Replacement – $29,474,691
East Campus Classroom and Office Building – $34,674,804
Wake Center Replacement – $40,051,128
Sports Pavilion Replacement or Modernization – $45,433,000
Existing Building Modernization Projects
Administration and Occupational Education Building – $33,115,940
Luria Library – $16,498,624
Marine Diving Technology Building – $2,792,298
Physical Science Building, East Wing and Lecture Hall – $6,842,378
Schott Center – $17,438,832
Student Services Building – $15,731,968
Although the list is subject to change, the need to address existing facilities is a high priority, according to Gaskin.
The Board is unanimously in favor of the bond and will continue discussion to officially put it on the ballot.
“I have a vision of this campus in 10 years,” Lisa Macker, trustee president said. “It’s going to be lovely.”