Rachel Roth, Spring 2009 Staff Writer
Last night’s election not only promised a change for the country, but also for Pierce College when Measure J, a $3.5 billion bond, was passed by nearly 70 percent of the voters within Los Angeles Community College District boundaries.
The excitement surrounding the passage of the bond was palpable at today’s LACCD Board of Trustees meeting.
“There is a reason we’re going to be all smiles today,” said Board President Kelly Candaele when he opened the meeting. “As you know, the $3.5-billion bond measure passed.”
LACCD Chancellor Marshall Drummond said, “The passage of this bond is within (the) idea of change and progress.”
Pierce will receive approximately $400-million from the funds from Measure J. According to Pierce President Robert Garber, plans for new facilities, including a Library/Learning Resource Center, Green Technologies Building and Digital Arts and Media Building are already under way.
Candaele said the 69.84-percent vote in favor of the bond was the highest percentage of votes received for all three bonds, including Propositions A and AA, which were approved by voters in 2001 and 2003, respectively.
“We are very, very excited that we got that high. We are very proud,” he added.
The first of the planned projects to begin construction at Pierce is a new Library/Resource Center, a building Garber is particularly excited about.
“I’ve been very committed since I came to Pierce to build a new Library/Resource Center,” he said. “With today’s technology, it really should be the heart of the campus and I think that every college and every institution should have a library that not only meets the needs of today’s students but is adaptable and acceptable for the future.”