Merced Community College District Bond Oversight Committee Minutes Thursday, October 15, 2009

Transcription

1 Merced Community College District Bond Oversight Committee Minutes Thursday, October 15, 2009 Members Present: Members Absent: Others Present: Mike Amabile (chairperson), William Warner, Shawna Guerrero, Lucille Milani, Richard Gerbi Mary Camper Mazie Brewington, Sheila Flores (recording), Marvin Smith, Joe Allison, Joe Bisinger, Glenda Policastro The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Chairperson Mike Amabile. The pledge of allegiance was led by Mike Amabile. Sheila introduced Mazie Brewington as the new Vice President of Administrative Services. Mazie replaces Larry Johnson, who retired in June. Sheila also introduced Joe Bisinger, who is the District s new Director of Purchasing. 1. Hearing of the Public There was no one from the public. 2. Approval of Minutes from the meeting held on March 12, 2009 It was MSCU (Milani/Warner) to approve the minutes. 3. Discussion and/or Action a. Draft Review of Citizens Bond Oversight Committee Annual Report Mazie referred to a copy of the Bond Oversight Annual Report, which was mailed to the committee members prior to the meeting. Before Mazie s report, Sheila indicated the following corrections will be made to the report prior to printing: Addition of page numbers to entire report. Correction on page 8, delete word be on second to last sentence on paragraph for Student Union Remodel and Administration Building Remodel Projects. Change funding year for Theater/Arts Renovation Project to Add that the AG/IT Project is in the FPP stage. Add that the Vocational Complex Renovation/Expansion Project is in the FPP stage. Change Heading at the top of page 10 to Measures H and J: The First Six Years. Sheila explained that audits for the bond will be distributed to committee members, prior to the final approval of the Bond Annual Report.

2 Mazie reviewed the entire report with the committee and explained each area of the report to the committee members. Lucille Milani asked if there was an ending date for this Bond. Mazie explained that the leveraging of the bond money is causing a delay in the spending of the bond funds. However, most bond campaigns run over a decade. Lucille asked where the income from the interest on the bonds goes. Mazie explained that any increase as a result of interest goes back into the bond fund to expend on bond projects. Shawna Guerrero said that as a student at the Los Banos Campus, there are many issues with regard to HVAC, lighting, and fume hoods, especially in the Science Wing. She wanted to know if any of the bond funds could be used to correct the deficiencies in the building. Mazie explained that she would have to obtain additional information, such as whether a NOC (Notice of Completion) had been issued, or whether or not the items are still under warranty. However, Mazie stated that she would talk to her staff and Brenda Lathem (Los Banos Dean) to find out exactly what problems exist. And, she would report back to the committee. Ultimately, if the warranties are expired, you could use bond funds to correct the issues. Lucille Milani wanted to know if there was a plan to build a Child Development Center at the Los Banos Campus. Marvin Smith said that there was a plan for Merced County Office of Education (MCOE) to build a Child Care Center at the Los Banos Campus, but like everyone else, MCOE is having budget issues. So, we do not know if or when that project will occur. Shawna asked if the college was doing anything to implement a safe pedestrian access to the Los Banos Campus, via Highway 152. She thought that the Rail- Trail was going to extend from the City of Los Banos to the campus. Mike Amabile said that part of the north developers agreement was that they provide a pedestrian access to the campus, but due to the state of the economy, he doesn t know when that project would be implemented. Mazie referred to page 11 of the Annual Report and informed members that in addition to the three design awards, the District Architect, Lionakis, received another AIA, SV, Design Excellence Award for the new Allied Health Complex. Sheila will bring the final Bond Oversight Report to the next committee meeting for approval. The approved report will be presented to the Board of Trustees in April of b. Bond Spending Plan Update Marvin Smith presented the Merced and Los Banos Spending Plans, which outlined the actual expenditures and proposed expenditures for each of the bond projects. He explained that all but two of the buildings (Administration and Student Union) have cleared DSA (Division of State Architect.) And, the District is waiting for state approval to proceed with the Agriculture and Industrial Technology Project, the Vocational Renovation/Expansion Project, and the Theater/Arts Remodel

3 Project. Marvin explained that the Merced Unallocated amount is a contingency budget for those items that exceed their original budget. And, the Miscellaneous Building Renovation amount is budgeted to take care of small renovations. Mazie explained that there is one remodel in the Merced Administration Building that will occur during the next year; Business Office Remodel. This area is in desperate need of a remodel. District personnel have done an excellent job leveraging bond dollars for state funding. The Merced Bond was a $53 million dollar bond and with state dollars, brings the total capital budget to well over $125 million. The same is true for the Los Banos Campus turning an $11 million dollars budget into an overall budget of over $25 million. Unfortunately, the economy has caused the state to delay its next state bond. This has caused us to delay the spending of our bond funds. If the state bond is delayed beyond the original two years, we may have to regroup to decide how to best implement the remaining bond projects. Currently, we are in a wait-and-see mode. There is one additional project, which is the Merced Architectural Barrier Project. Merced is in the process of sending out an RFP (Request for Proposal) for a review of the Merced Campus to address any ABR or signage issues. Now that the majority of construction projects are completed, we need to determine if there are additional ABR issues that need to be addressed. Richard Gerbi asked if the college is getting any pressure to do any of the ADA projects? Sheila told committee members that the Merced Campus underwent an ABR project in 1998 and continued to address ADA issues through each of the construction projects. Marvin said that we continue to address trip hazards and safety issues as they come up. However, when Mazie arrived, she requested that we do a comprehensive ADA study, so that we know all the issues out there before we begin spending down the money. We have confidence that the RFP will address most of the issues on campus and we will begin spending down some of the bond money allocated to ADA issues. Mazie added that once the RFP process is completed, we will meet as a committee and try and resolve everything on the list. Most importantly, we have to make sure the District has a plan and we are working on it. Marvin referred to the Los Banos Spending Plan and stated that everything is completed except for some maintenance issues. Richard Gerbi asked if there had been any progress on getting rid of the old campus. Marvin explained that we are currently waiting for an appraisal. There have been some discussions with an interested party and the Board would decide whether or not to consider their offer. Mazie explained that they met with the potential buyer approximately five weeks ago. The Grounds are being maintained, security has been implemented, and the property is in good shape. The proceeds from the sale of the property, would go back to projects planned at the Los Banos Campus. Los Banos staff are very anxious to sell the old Los Banos Campus property, and the 133 acres that the college owns on the east side of town. However, it would be up to the Board of Trustees to determine if they are willing to sell the property in this economic climate.

4 c. Construction Project Update Mazie Brewington referred to a handout, and gave a brief description of each of the projects. Below is a summary of her report: Learning Resources Center (Library) State and locally funded Complete Science Building Remodel State and locally funded Complete Business Resource Center 100% locally funded Compete Lesher Building Remodel State and locally funded Complete Administration Building Remodel Project Funded 100% by bond; Complete and opened in Spring 2009 Student Union Remodel Project Funded 100% by bond; Complete and opened in Spring 2009 Lucille Milani asked if the Student Union was being used. Mazie explained that Study Central is no longer open because of the funding cuts to the Basic Skills budget. However, she has been approached by a group of students who are investigating options for the space. Sheila explained that the Student Union space is still primarily student space as was the original goal of the project, and as it was stated in the District s Educational Master Plan. Allied Health Center Project Funded 100% by bond; Complete and opened in Summer 2009 Agriculture and Industrial Technology Complex This ready-access Final Project Proposal was re-submitted on September 15, Due to the fact that there will be no state bond for the next two years, this project was moved back to It is anticipated the project will be included in the state budget. Vocational Building Remodel Project This project was submitted as a Final Project Proposal and we are waiting for state approval to proceed. Theater/Arts Remodel Project This project was submitted as a Initial Project Proposal and we are waiting for state approval to proceed to the Final Project Proposal stage. Lucille asked if there were floor plans for each of the remaining projects. Sheila said there are preliminary plans and she will bring copies for the committee to review at the next Bond Oversight Committee Meeting. Mike Amabile asked if the state bond process would change, due to economic instability. Mazie explained that we don t know what is in store for the process. However, Sheila Flores and Rick Souhrada (Director of Facilities) will be attending the next Chancellor s Office Facilities Conference in November, in an

5 effort to be kept informed of any process changes with regard to facilities planning. Los Banos Campus Mazie explained that the Los Banos Campus Project is complete. However, the college is installing a Haz/Mat facility in the Operations and Maintenance yard to store chemicals. This is a five week project and is being done for the safety of our staff and students. Rick Souhrada will make sure that the staff are trained so they know how to handle the materials in a safe manner. And, the building will have appropriate signage. This project went through the Facilities Master Planning Committee for approval. 4. Date and Time of Next Meeting Sheila asked committee members if a Thursday, in March at 6:00 p.m. was a good time and day for them. The committee was in agreement that the day and time was good for everyone. So, Sheila will schedule the next meeting and will inform committee members of the date, time and location. The meeting adjourned at 5:53 p.m.