West Valley-Mission Community College District Moves Forward With Measure C Projects

The West Valley-Mission Community College District is quickly moving ahead with the first projects funded by Measure C, the $350 million facilities bond voters passed last June.

Over the next two months, the district plans to present the architect selections to the WVMCCD Board of Trustees for several of the projects. Construction is expected to begin in about 12 months.

At Mission College, projects include the Wellness and Human Performance Building, the Facilities Replacement Building and Phase 2 of the Main Building replacement. At West Valley College, projects include the ongoing renovation of the Applied Arts and Sciences Building (some of the renovation was funded by the previous bond measure, Measure H), the Facilities Replacement Building and the new Student Services Building.

The district’s rapid progress is a result of the successful sale of the bond’s first $100 million in August, an offering that drew a high level of interest from investors. For some of the series, there were eight times more orders from investors than bonds available, said Ed Maduli, WVMCCD vice chancellor of administrative services. He attributes such demand to the district’s high credit ratings, which reflect the responsible way the district has managed its overall fiscal house, including monies from Measure H.

“We essentially spent all of the money on construction and didn’t spend any money at all on administrator salaries and it shows in the buildings that we produced,” Maduli said. “We were able to do more than we’d initially scheduled.”

At the same time as the August bond offering, the district also refinanced some existing debt from Measure H, ultimately saving voters about $1.3 million, Maduli said.

Voters will also see a lower tax bill for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The tax rate voters approved was $16.25 per $100,000 of assessed value; the actual rate was $15 per $100,000.

Measure C continues the work begun under Measure H, with key priorities including replacement of outdated classrooms, labs, lecture halls, performing arts spaces and administrative facilities. It will also pay for such things as the repair and replacement of leaky roofs, heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems throughout the aging campuses as well as the updating of technology infrastructure to help students prepare for transferring to four-year universities.

Maduli said the district anticipates selling additional bonds in about 2 ½ to 3 years, which allows the district enough time to ensure the money from the first offering is spent.