Delta sets aside $2.8 million to buy Lodi land in future

San Joaquin Delta College will be looking to purchase land in Lodi, but not anytime soon.

On Tuesday night, the school's board of trustees approved recommendations to spend the biggest chunk of its remaining $68.8 million of the Measure L bond money on the Mountain House campus and CAT (Caterpillar) program expansion and Shima Building renovations, allocating only $2.8 million to purchase land in Lodi for an investment or satellite campus.

The board also decided the Mountain House and Shima projects need to be planned out and commenced before the remaining six projects in the plan can be started. The Mountain House master plan, permanent building and landscaping projects aren't expected to be drawn up and approved until January, according to a group of Delta administrators, known as the bond team, which came up with the spending plan options. The bond team predicted the Mountain House projects wouldn't break ground until the summer of 2010, with completion following in 2012. Projected dates were not announced for the CAT program, which teaches students how to repair and maintain Caterpillar construction equipment.

That puts off the purchase of land in Lodi at least two or three years. Trustee Dan Parises and Maria Elena Serna, who both represent Lodi, were disappointed in the board's decision.

Parises wanted the board to overturn a previous vote to abandon Delta buying land on the Victor Road site, which the college sank $4 million into before waiving the site as an option. Parises, who is retiring at the end of this year, also thought the board should put off a decision until January for distributing the remaining Measure L funds, saying the newly elected board could decide on it. The board disagreed.

"I think you will look back in history and people will be appalled that this board threw away $4 million from Measure L," Parises said. "What the grand jury said (about the board wasting money) was exactly right, and after they said it, we went ahead and did it anyway. You are not going to be able to find property that cheap down the road."

Serna, who arrived in a wheelchair, was able to attend the meeting after missing the last few while recovering from back surgery. She said that the $2.8 million is not enough to purchase land in Lodi in the future.

Measure L Spending Plan
San Joaquin Delta College’s board of trustees approved the following spending plan for the remainder of the Measure L Bond funds at its meeting on Tuesday night.Projects, ranked in order of priority; balance descending in second column.
Project	Cost	Balance: $68,754,220
1. Master plan and landscaping at Mountain House*	$1,000,000	$67,754,220
2. Mountain House campus*	$49,300,000	$18,454,220
3. CAT program, Shima Building renovation*	$13,300,000	$5,154,220
4. Improve Danner Hall and address safety concerns.	$600,000	$45,542,220
5. Fencing and signs in Manteca	$70,000	$44,842,220
6. New barn and shade structure in Manteca	$650,000	$3,834,220
7. Lodi property purchase	$2,800,000	$1,034,220
8. Renovations at Stockton campus	$1,034,220
*Projects to be completely planned and started before remaining projects can begin
Source: San Joaquin Delta College

"We are going to need more money there. I think there might be some cost savings on some of these projects, and the payback can be considered for Lodi," she said after the meeting. "We have to get some land there."

During the meeting, Trustee Ted Simas, who is not up for re-election this year, tried to assure Parises that there was still hope for Lodi despite the relatively low funding.

"If our enrollment in Tracy doesn't improve from what it is now, and I have my doubts, I will do everything I can with the new board before I go out to leave 27 modulars at Mountain House, and then there will be some money for Lodi and Tracy," said Simas, who also noted the $4 million wasted at the Victor Road site paled in comparison to the $60 million wasted at Mountain House.

Parises wasn't pleased with the offer, saying that land needs to be bought now in Lodi.

After the meeting, multiple members of the board praised the bond team and staff for putting together options for spending the remaining Measure L funds so it can make more informed decisions.

For Parises, the struggle to revisit the Victor Road site option or accelerate the Lodi campus isn't over.

"I will still be fighting for it, even after I retire," he said.

In other action

Delta announced it received a CCRAA HSI Federal Grant — a two-year grant worth $1.98 million to go to the college's science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) departments to boost enrollment particularly among low-income, Hispanic and first-generation college students. The board approved money to be spent on reopening the college's planetarium, expanding the use of technology and lab equipment as well as increasing staff and student activities for the departments.

Valerie Novak was sworn in as the new student representative to the board of trustees.

A presentation of the follow-up report for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges was postponed to its next meeting on Oct. 21.
— News-Sentinel staff

Reader Feedback

al da long wrote on Oct 10, 2008 11:25 AM:

" Teddy boy Simas is sounding like he took some happy meds. He's just counting the days until the new board comes to power and he then can then try to get the NFG's to Goose step with him. When they don't we'll see Teddy return to his whiner mode. "

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commonsense1 wrote on Oct 8, 2008 4:36 PM:

" This isn't about DP, it's about our city. Plain and simple, Lodi got screwed! $2.8 mil maybe, someday? What a joke. "

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Lodian2 wrote on Oct 8, 2008 11:35 AM:

" Dan, your connections with the realtors,developers, consultants,city,
(whoever you planned this with) are showing through with flying colors.
The other trustees that voted this in with you in the beginning finally saw the light and got out of it. Now you have to deal with all of your undealt-
with promises. "

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fawn lebowitz wrote on Oct 8, 2008 9:01 AM:

" Don't you know, reality1, that he wanted the land he bought off Victor Road last year to go up in value? This guy is so transparent. "

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JF wrote on Oct 8, 2008 8:03 AM:

" Pathetic! "

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reality1 wrote on Oct 8, 2008 7:14 AM:

" Dan give it up. Why would you fight for something after you retire. You never did anything before this other than sleep during board meetings. Adios Dan and good riddens. I think they finally made a move with a plan. "

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