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SR-091608-13K13-K September 16, 2008 Council Meeting: September 16, 2008 Santa Monica, California CITY CLERK'S OFFICE -MEMORANDUM To: City Council From: Mayor Pro Tem Bloom and Councilmember Censer Date: September 16, 2008 13-K: Request of Mayor Pro Tem Bloom and Councilmember Censer that the City Council endorse Proposition AA on the November 4, 2008 ballot, the Santa Monica College Career and Educational Improvements Bond. 13- Septem~3er '~ ~, ~~®$ FULL TEXT OF BALLOT MEASURE AA E~XFIIBIT A PROJECT LIST FOR MEASURE AA All $295 million of Bond proceeds will be spent within the Cities of Santa Monica and Malibu or at sites that share a boundary and are contiguous with the Cities of Santa Monica or Malibu. None of the Bond proceeds can be taken away by the State of California All projects funded by Bond proceeds will be available for educational and public uses authorized in this Project List. All projects have been unanimously approved by the Santa Monica Community College District Planning and Advisory Committee. Replacement safety and modernization projects were identified by means of an independenC facilities assessment. Replacement projects and projects to meet new educational need have been unanimously approved by the District Board of Trustees as priority items in the District's Capital Improvement Plan on file with the State Chancellor's Office. The .items proposed for financing in whole or in part with the proceeds of the District's general obligation bonds include the following capital projects at any or all District facilities: development and implementation of facilities master plans and related requirements such as environmental impact reports and soils testing; demolition of temporary and/or obsolete facilities; installation and/or upgrading of emergency lighting, fire alarm, and security systems; roadways, walkways, grounds, parking lots, and garages; entrance improvements; signage for safety and public information; modernization and/or construction of new and existing restrooms; financing/refinancing of reai property acquisition and improvements; acquiring related furnishings and equipment for all modernization, renovation, improvement, and/or new and existing construction project components; the retocation and/or acquisition of temporary facilities duringthe modernization, renovation, improvement and/or new construction of project components as necessary to maintain educational programs in operation during construction; acquiring, refinancing, and(or entering into arrangements for the joint use of real property for existing and future classrooms, student services, child care and/or other uses; and acquiring and/or entering into arrangements for the joint use of Land, making site improvements, building infrastructure and/or constructing additiogal facilities thereon, for the purpose of expanding instructional programs to meet future educational demands of District students. (Continued on next page) FULL TEXT OF BALLOT MEASURE AA (continued) SAFETY AND MODERNIZATION PROJECTS -Business and Facilities Infrastructure -Career Opportunity and Advancement Center (Bundy Campus) -Community Classroom and Facility Projects _ -Drescher Phase I -Academic Facilities Modernization -Drescher Phase II -Bookstore Relocation and Modernization -Drescher Phase III -Pico Promenade and Transit Plaza -Environmentat Performance Improvements -Madison East Wing Seismic Upgrade -Malibu High School Library and Educational Improvements -Media and Technology Complex Phase I -Media-and Technology Complex Phase II -Renovation or Replacement of Corsair Stadium -Replacement Math and Science Extension Building -Replacement Health/PE/Fitness/Dance Building -Utility Infrastructure and Technology Accountability to Community All bond expendiriires are subject to review by a Citizens Oversight Committee which reports to the public, as provided in Education Code Section 15278 et seq. The District will involve faculty, staff, and students in curriculum development at financed facilities throughout the fife of the bond measure program. The District will conduct a community assessment of need as part of the program design of the Career Opportunity and Advancement Center. The District will provide an opportunity for input from community and neighborhood residents during the development of Projects to be funded by this bond measure. The District will apply energy saving and sustainability standards to all repairs and improvements. IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF MEASURE AA By Raymond G. Fortner, Jr., County Counsel Approval of Measure AA would authorize the Santa Monica Community College District("District") to issue general obligation bonds in the amount of $295,000,000. Funds received from the sale of the bonds would be used for the specific projects certified by the Board of Trustees of the District ("Board'') for developing and implementing the facilities master plans, demolishing temporary and/or obsolete facilities, installing and/or upgrading of emergency lighting, fire alarm and security systems, roadways, walkways, grounds, parking lots, and garages, entrances, and signage for safety and public information, relocating and/or acquiring temporary facilities during project phases, acquiring and/or entering into arrangements for the joint use of land, making site improvements, buitding infrastmcture and/or constructing additional facilities for the purpose of expanding instructional programs to meet future educational demands of the District. No bond proceeds shall be used for administrators' or teachers' salaries or any other school operating expenses. As required by law,the Board has adopted a list of the specific school facilities projects to be funded by the sale of the bonds. The District will cause annual independent performance and financial audits on the expenditure of the bond proceeds. The Board will appoint a Citizens' Oversight Committee to insure the District's compliance with authorized expenditures. If the bonds are approved by the electorate, the existing Oversight Committee will be appointed as the new Oversight Committee. The bonds would be issued for a term not to exceed forty (40) years, and would be issued at an interest rate that does not exceed the legal maximum rate, presently 12% per annum. The bonds would be repaid by a property tax levied upon real properTy located in the District. This Measure requires a fifty-five percent (55%) vote for passage MASTER ~LA~ UPDATE _~~ -` "_ __ ~ m,_ -_ SMC has retained one of the best architectural firms in the country, Gensler, headquartered here in Santa Monica, to help us rework our facilities master plan. Here are the goals: Reduce the planned density on the main campus. This is possible because of the new Bundy campus and the. new transportation initiative that allows SMC students to ride any line of the Big Btue Bus any time for free. Incorporate sustainability practices. SMC is making great strides in teaching and practicing environ- mentalty superior ways of living. Incorporate current modernization planning. This includes a replacement math and science building on the main campus; moving broadcast and video career programs to new facilities at the Academy digital arts campus; and planning a new Career and Advancement Center that provides immediate job training and small business support at the Bundy campus. As part of this effort, Gensler wilt conduct mmmuni_ty workshops, to which all are invited. N~i/E DER x~~~ M~ER~9ZAT1®R1 MEASURE :~= - an ~ The math department operates in a temporary facility that is nearing the end of its life ryde. Additionally, new California regulations require an increase in minimum math competencies beginning in Fatt 2009. The current facility lacks the infrastructure to support modern classroom technology. The Earth, Life, and Physical Sciences programs are operating in spaces that are too small and scattered around the campus. This inhibits the sharing of resources and incurs expensive replacement costs for laboratory teaching materials. There are insufficient science lab classrooms to offer needed course sections for the Allied Health and Nursing program. The new building will restore to the main campus an instructional observatory and will provide a replacement planetarium to meet the increasing demands for course offerings and community educational program. The physical education department is currently operating in a 1958 building in which many of the systems are in poor condition, including the roof, the concrete floors, the restrooms, showers, exhaust systems, and electrical systems. The fire systems are not centrally monitored and the building lacks a fire sprinkler system. SMC has qualified for major funding from the State for a replacement math and new science wing; however, SMC must match this funding. In the past, matching funding has been acquired through local bonds, approved in total bond measures. SMC is proposing a $295mittion bond measure to provide the matching funds for the math and science wing and to address the other deficiencies. Following are the projects and the reasons for their need. ~ The facility would be available to the community during non-instructional times. A replacement building would provide additional indoor physical education and fitness training, would provide equal support facilities for men and women, and would provide needed facilities for the dance program. SMC's workforce development program is now regarded as one of the most successful in California. A new facility would provide the program with modern classrooms that can be adapted to ongoing need. Y'..i ssJSAa~5xs!i"3: sG YdRi~i?'3¢23~J »tc': ~`. F'~33 i^2 Ei]^1 SMC would contribute to the funding of a new Library and provide other educational improvements on the Malibu High School campus in a joint-use partnership with the School District. A college level library in the Malibu area would support SMC students in that area who find it difficult to commute to Santa Monica. The facility would house training programs provided by ~i`dn~R~$,9's~~~'A~ ~~M~~9~~~~ college, city, county, and other agency providers. The new facility would also allow SMC to provide advanced instruction tailored to the needs of the westside workforce, in partnership with other agencies. ~ This would be a 2.5% bond issue set-aside to fund projects that are designed to upgrade College facilities to achieve energy or resource use efficiency. ~r ~~._~~.~ ~ ~~Gf;3 ey d~ v~ ~ ~~`sas P/. T' a `s~' p~z a~paayy3~~ y~r _z"„.-rte, a~i~ z:~s€~.:~a}}:~~gg~i$ ~-{~ ~: ~Y~~~'u*~ 4 '.mac ~$~e :14=fiE9 a°..Erz §bwR~ r~iLV .~v°Q iLS"nw These programs are in 1950s era buildings that cannot support the modern infrastructure necessary for digital and online programs. A new Media and Technology complex will have the necessary data, communications, electrical, and ventilation systems. The location is a campus site in the heart of Santa Monica's media and entertainment district where some of SMC's existing digital arts programs are housed. .. Ss.'-,:~<. im n9~ievT '.i"Y .a aa~n3 ?«x '. TG+%?.r a T'~ ,`*sT~.~~T ~~~~ a`~3~. ~t;~ T ~ z~~~Ka~t+ss x~. ~. This 1948 concrete structure is showing some deterioration of the concrete and does not meet current seismic standards. C,~~S~ AND Et~~F'T5 ~~.. ~~,~ ~ The cost of the proposed bond measure would be approximately $1.12 per month for renters and approximately $7.34 per month for the average single- : family homeowner or condominium owner. About one out of every ten residents in the Pico Neighborhood and about one out of every eleven residents in Sunset Park and Ocean Park attend classes at SMC each year. The state average is about one out of twenty residents. Altogether, about 60% of residents report that they or someone intheir families have attended Santa Monica College. Att local communities are supporting or planning to support their colleges at about the same level. The average bond program for the nine Las Angeles colleges will be $633 million each, for Long Beach is $616 million, far Santa Monica will be $590 million, and for ELCamino is $395 million. A consolidated bus pull-out and a new bus shelter on the south side of Pico Boulevard in front of Drescher Hall wilt assist in reducing traffic congestion. ~E~~31~.ia'~i'p~ ;?_~>~~ „and s-._~*a~'-~"~` ~ Community classrooms or community facilities would be developed in joint-use with other agencies. ~ All of the bond funds raised if this measure passes will be spent in Santa Monica and Malibu. None of the money can be taken away by the state. ~ College improvements add value for iota( homeowners, according to focal realtors, as reported in the Santa Monica Daily Press. Homeowners who are in the market to sefl their properties say the college has been a tremendous asset because of itr facilities, such as the Swim Center; and overall is a teat positive.