It’s with no small amount of trepidation that we salute the
Gavilan College Board of Trustees and President Steve Kinsella for
their move to include the public in the process leading to
selection of a new campus site near Hollister Airport.
The voters of the college district passed a bond issue that will allow for construction of campuses in Coyote Valley and San Benito County.
The district considered sites, and rather quietly settled on two locations. The San Benito County site brought a vigorous reaction from many people. There were fears expressed that a college campus north of the airport would induce sprawl, hamstring agriculture, empty out downtown, leave students unnecessarily isolated and prevent further development of the neighboring airport. Rather than being greeted as a boon to the educational, cultural and business landscape, many criticized the college site as a liability.
Trustees and Kinsella have defended their choice, explaining that it came at the end of a yearlong exploration of the alternatives. They met with the public at the county Office of Education last Thursday to elaborate on their position.
That’s a commendable step, but we think it is coming a little late in the game, with a deal on the airport site all-but-signed.
Certainly the public is culpable. The board of trustees conducts monthly public meetings. They are consistently ill attended. So when the move was made to order that staff enter into negotiations for the site, there was little public notice.
But the blame cannot be laid solely at the public’s feet. Gavilan College has been a leader in a consensus-based process called Vision San Benito. The very heart of the three-year effort has been getting people representing the broadest possible cross-section of San Benito County to come to agreement about the practices and land-use decisions that will best serve the entire community.
Vision San Benito was not a speedy process, but it was worthwhile. Kinsella himself facilitated it early on, and remained involved throughout. It’s a model that should have been employed in site selection. Involving the public once the deal is done is the antithesis of the process.
It’s time to put the “community” back in “community college.” Decision-makers should go further than describing their process. They should address the list of very legitimate concerns that were voiced after the announcement of a site selection.
