CLEARLAKE — Official vote counts indicate that a $190 million facilities bond measure has passed in the Yuba Community College District (YCCD). Passage of the bond has secured $17.2 million for construction of a permanent building on the Clear Lake Campus.
The YCCD represents all or part of eight California counties. Locally, YCCD boundaries include Konocti and Middletown school districts. The YCCD also represents counties of Yuba, Sutter, Colusa, Glenn, Yolo, Placer and Butte.
Measure J passed with 56.61 percent district-wide according to official returns that were released by the YCCD office.
“I want to thank the people in our district for supporting Measure J and making this committment to higher education,” said YCCD Chancellor Dr. Nicki Harrington. “Thanks to you, the asset you have in your community college will be preserved. Thanks to you, we will be able to renovate, modernize and expand facilities in the Yuba Community College District to serve our students and communities today and in the future.”
The passage of Measure J means that the YCCD”s Clear Lake Campus will receive $17.2 million to build a new, permanent 30,000 square-foot campus building with large classrooms, a library, bookstore and one-stop student service center. In addition, the Clear Lake Campus will also get Measure J funds to renovate, upgrade and expand classrooms and science laboratories on campus to offer more courses leading to two- and four-year degrees close to home.
“The future for the Clear Lake Campus is very bright, and we owe it all to the people of Lake County who supported Measure J,” said Clear Lake Campus Dean Bryon Bell. “At this time, we will begin planning for the future, and look forward to serving our students in new, improved and permanent facilities.”
Yuba County took the lead in handling vote counts for the eight-county district. It will pass on official results from all eight counties in the YCCD to the district”s Board of Trustees, who will then certify the whole. Once that is done, the district will move forward and begin implementation of a Facilities Master Plan and will also begin appointing a Citizens Oversight Committee.
More information on the Facilities Master Plan can be found on the YCCD Web site, www.yccd.edu.
Contact Cynthia Parkhill at cparkhill@clearlakeobserver.com.
