Hollister
– Gavilan College’s board of trustees is expected to vote
tonight on the location of the school’s new satellite campus in San
Benito County.
Hollister – Gavilan College’s board of trustees is expected to vote tonight on the location of the school’s new satellite campus in San Benito County.
If the purchase is approved, plans will go forward to buy the property on the northeast corner of Fairview Road and Airline Highway for campus development. The board of trustees’ decision will be made after hearing a response from the community. The public will have an opportunity to give feedback at the beginning of the meeting.
The cost of the purchase is $8 million, or $100,000 per acre for the 80-acre plot. The property will be paid for through Measure E funds, which were approved in March 2004.
Gavilan officials announced their choice for the campus site in late April, after narrowing the site down from 16 properties.
The process of selecting a site has taken more than three years.
Trustee Elvira Robinson said a decision on the purchase is expected to be reached by the end of the meeting. But, Robinson said, the board will forego action if members feel the community has not had adequate input.
“If it’s necessary to postpone it, the board will do that,” Robinson said. “But if any postponement could hurt the contract negotiations we may not. We’ll have to see how the community reacts.”
Officials say the site was chosen because it was the best option available that met the college’s needs in terms of size and proximity to downtown. The land is located on Airline Highway across from Ridgemark Golf and Country Club.
Trustee Kent Child expects to hear at least some criticism from the public. Many residents wanted the campus to be closer to downtown Hollister, he said.
The areas available closer to downtown did not meet the college’s size requirements, Child said.
“This seems to be one of the best locations that has surfaced. Sooner or later we’re going to have to decide we spent enough time and move forward,” he said.
Child said he and other board members are excited to move forward to the next step of planning for the community college campus in Hollister.
Once the location is finalized, the college’s board will hold a series of meetings looking at what type of programs and facilities will be offered.
“It’s not too soon to start narrowing the focus on those,” said Child. “Right now, it’s a blank slate.”
Child said decisions will have to be made in regard to what kind of athletics program the school will have and whether the Hollister campus will have a theater, as well as what programs will be offered at the school.
The meetings will allow members of the community to share what the need is for the future of San Benito County.
“The courses and the programs will be up to the community,” Robinson said. The board will also look at what kinds of programs are offered in Gilroy, and the new campus that will be built in Morgan Hill, so the schools compliment each other and do not compete.
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
