Voters will decide in November whether to authorize $129.6 million in bonds for building renovations, infrastructure repairs and expanded career training facilities at Shasta College.
Measure C would be repaid through property taxes. Shasta College says it would replace an expiring bond, keeping the overall tax rate property owners pay for college bonds unchanged. Property owners would continue paying that portion of their tax bill rather than seeing it expire in 2031.
The district covers Shasta, Tehama and Trinity counties, along with portions of Lassen, Humboldt and Modoc counties. The community college is based in Redding.
At a community forum last week, Shasta College President Frank Nigro said many of the institution's buildings are 60 years old and need new infrastructure and upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"They're really not serving our students or our public very well," he said. "They were not designed for an educational system, an economy, an entire world that runs on the internet, so the wiring was not there."
Projects would include new agriculture classrooms, expansion of the emergency medical services and certified nursing assistant labs and new public safety training facilities.
The bond would not be used for teacher or administrator salaries or other operating expenses.
For homes assessed at $300,000, the bond would cost about $23 a year.
Nigro said the college could potentially set aside $1 to 2 million annually for construction, but saving enough to complete the needed work would take too long.
"[A bond] really is the only way that we have to raise the kinds of capital funds that would cover the work that we need to have done," he said. "We're the only public institution of higher education within 75 miles, and so we have the potential to do an awful lot for the community, but we do need help from the community."
The bond alone won't cover the cost of the work, so the college plans to pursue additional matching funds from the state.
Nigro also said the college plays an important role locally, accepting any student.
"We brag about our inclusivity, not about our exclusivity and our low acceptance rates," he said. "We have 100% acceptance rates. We will take you where you are, and we will try to get you where you want to go."
The measure needs at least 55% voter approval to pass.
Election Day is November 3.
Another community forum is scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 9:30 a.m. in Building 800 on the college's main campus in Redding.
