The $190 million bond measure for the Yuba Community College District, which required a 55 percent supermajority to take effect, passed with a surplus of 917 votes. Measure J garnered a healthy majority of its votes chiefly in Yolo, Lake and Sutter counties.
However, now that the votes have been tallied and the avid campaigning has halted, when will Measure J begin the transition from drawing board to implementation?The answer is central to not only the counties whose amassed voters pushed the bond measure into a positive margin, but to students, faculty and staff of YCCD, who have long been waiting for their campus’ infrastructure renovation, modernization and improved access to four-year bachelor’s degree coursework.According to Willard Wright, Yuba College’s Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services, the earliest evidence of Measure J’s implementation will not be unveiled until early 2008.
“We haven’t worked out the mechanics yet,” he said. “This is a very prescriptive process.”
Over the course of the next few months, the state will designate a Citizen’s Oversight Committee, that will periodically report to the public how much of the $190 million bond is being spent, as well as which projects into which money can be channeled.These projects are outlined in the YCCD-created Facilities Master Plan, a comprehensive document that also provides specific information as to the adequacy and condition of YCCD’s current facilities.
The committee’s composition, as dictated by Proposition 39, will include one full-time student, one senior citizen, one member of the Taxpayer’s Association, one member of a prominent community association, such as a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and two members of the community-at-large.
In June, members of YCCD Chancellor Nikki Harrington’s executive team will assemble to identify and schedule projects, determine how much money to withdraw from the bond and assign a project manager.
Next, the team will issue a statewide bid for a program manager, who will work cooperatively with construction firms and a Division of the State Architect to ensure adequate design of projects, locate sites for these projects and survey environmental conditions of these proposed construction and/or demolition sites. The ideal program manager candidate will hail from a large project management firm in California.
“All of the work has been drafted and costed,” Wright said. “The only mystery is when to do the projects.”
Some extensive projects to anticipate as detailed in the Facilities Master Plan include renovations and upgrades to the Yuba College utilities, a 60,000 square-foot facility to relocate and expand health occupation programs, as well as technological upgrades.
The prospected date of completion for Measure J’s projects is December of 2012, although this prospect is rough. Nonetheless, Wright believes that the benefits outweigh the nagging wait.
“The sooner we get started,” he said, “the sooner the benefits will accrue to the students.”
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