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| For Immediate Release | Contact: Frances Squire |
| Aug. 4, 2008 | Phone: (559) 934-2134 |
West Hills College plans bonds measure for Coalinga and Huron
Voters in the areas surrounding West Hills College Coalinga should soon begin receiving materials about Measure C, a bond measures that the college district has placed on the November 4th ballot.
Rather than attempting a district-wide bond election, the West Hills Community College District Board of Trustees has approved three separate school facility improvement districts.
SFID #2 will encompass the Coalinga-Huron area. All money raised by the measure will be spent at West Hills College Coalinga. The bond request is for $11.6 million, which will make the district eligible for up to $50 million in State matching funds.
If passed, the cost to property owners would be $19 per year per $100,000 of assessed valuation (not market value).
A similar measure was passed in June in the northern part of WHCCD. It encompassed the communities of Firebaugh, Mendota, San Joaquin and Tranquillity. Voters approved the $11 million measure with more than a 70 percent positive response.
The SFIDs will require a citizens’ oversight committee with guaranteed financial audits. All monies will be spent on construction projects. No money from the bonds may be used for salaries
At the July meeting, trustees also reviewed facilities plans submitted by the district’s facilities consultants, AP Architects.
Projects on the Coalinga list included a new agriculture science joint use facility at the Farm of the Future and a wellness center at WHCC. Both projects will be built no matter the outcome of the bond election, according to Chancellor Frank Gornick.
Major bond-funded projects include a new health building, a performing arts center modernization, student center and residence hall upgrades and updates for technology and campus security and lighting and a solar energy system.
The district also plans to support the Coalinga community field sports facility that is under construction just north of the college. It is hoped that the park will serve as a home for a future college soccer team.
Also planned is a Huron joint use facility that would allow college classes and vocational training to be offered in Huron.
For additional information on any of the SFIDs, watch the West Hills College website, westhillscollege.com, or phone the district office at 559 934-2134.
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West Hills Community College District serves the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and is part of the California Community College System. Its two colleges, West Hills College Coalinga, which includes North District Center, Firebaugh, and West Hills College Lemoore, serve more than 6,000 students on campus and online each semester