College to Consider $175 Million Local Facilities Bond

By Blair Clarkson
Staff Writer

June 3 -- In an effort to boost the City's limited park and recreation space, the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees on Monday will review a proposal to place a $175 million bond measure on the November ballot.

The bond proposal comes as a result of a yearlong board-authorized study of the city and the campus' scarce physical education, recreation and social welfare facilities, and offers a range of new capital improvements to help give Santa Monica a bit more elbow room.

In what should come as no surprise to weary commuters forced to inch their way along the city's crowded streets, the study found that Santa Monica has one of the highest population densities in the country.

Yet it falls "significantly below average in comparison to other Los Angeles County and Orange County cities in available park and recreation open space," according to the report. Malibu also suffers from a shortage of field space, the report said.

Should the SMC Board approve the proposal, the hefty bond measure, which specifically allocates $100 million for use in "cooperative partnership projects" between Santa Monica, Malibu and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, would still require voter approval.

To pay for the bond, Santa Monica and Malibu homeowners would have to pay about $6.40 per month, while renters would pay about $1.12 a month, according to the report.

Over the years, to accommodate program growth and parking needs, both the college and the school district have been forced to build on existing field and recreation space. In some areas of SMC's main campus, the lines of old tennis and basketball courts can be seen peeking out from under temporary classroom trailers.

To stem the loss of such resources, the college-sponsored study identifies several proposed "cooperative" capital projects to help address the school and the community's recreation needs. They include:

• Physical fitness, natural history and marine biology facilities on the 5-acre site at 415 Pacific Coast Highway
• A 3.6-acre botanical gardens at the Civic Center
• An Early Childhood Development lab and childcare facility
• A new Career Opportunity Center for emerging technologies and to improve the college's ability to vie for State and Federal grants
• A performing arts complex at the Madison campus open to community organizations
• Improvements to the Pier Aquarium
• Additional physical education field space and replacement tennis courts
• A new Children's Fitness Outdoor Park on the main campus
• Improved Civic Center use of the proposed literacy center at 14th and Pico.

"Cooperative Partnership projects that add field space in Santa Monica and Malibu will improve the instructional program," according to the report, "as well as be of benefit to a significant number of community members."

Following the board's review of the Community Education Facilities Report and bond measure on Monday, subsequent presentations will be made to the Santa Monica and Malibu City Councils, the SMMUSD and at public meetings of campus constituencies and organizations.