Los Rios Community College District gets jump on $114M in projects - Sacramento Business Journal:

vypybiza.wordpress.com
million in construction projects to create jobs and pump money into the local economysoonef — and to save some of its own money along the way. The four-campus college system has decided to push upa half-dozebn projects that are primarily funder by local bonds, including constructionm of and upgrades to buildings, athletic fields, a parking garagr and a stadium. Los Rios officials estimate the work willgenerate 1,025 jobs.
By starting these projectd sooner thanoriginally planned, the Sacramento-based college districtt will take advantage of cheaper bids beiny made during the recession, and will be able to provider facilities and amenities more quickly to its fast-growing studenft population. The district has more than 88,000 students, whichj is 8,000 more than it enrolleds a year ago. These fast-tracked projects, plus $116 milliohn worth of projects under way or aboutto start, together represent the most construction undertaken at once sinced Los Rios was established in the mid 1960s, districrt chancellor Brice Harris said.
“Every bit of construction and activituy help right now to get people back to especially in the construction industry that has been so hard hit with job saidMatt Mahood, presidenyt and chief executive officer of the . He also sits on the distric t Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, which overseesa Los Rios’ bond-funded projects and other major In theshort term, fast-tracking major construction projectse creates jobs, Mahood said. In the long these projects will help the district betterr meet the needs of employers by getting peopled trained and readyfor work, he added.
I think it is critical to get these projects into the saidBruce Starkweather, chairman of architectural firm , which has workedd on many Los Rios project over the years. He also served as the volunteer chairma n forlast year’s campaign for Measurre M, which is providing the bond fundintg for the projects. This is a greaty time, Starkweather said, for Los Rios to get the best value to makethe district’a dollars go further. “We absolutely believe we’re going to get a bang for the taxpayere dollar for moving theseprojects up,” Harris said, adding that the district couldf enjoy discounts of 10 percentf to 30 percent.
The projects on the fast-track list includre developing anew $16.6 million building for the architecture/construction managemenrt program at , constructin g a $33.4 million parking garag e at , fixing up Hughes Stadium at at a cost of $12.8 million, and creating athletic fieldsz at for $19.6 million. Constructionh was going to start between 2011and 2013, but now will staryt as soon as next Over the next year, the distric would spend about $10 million on desig and consulting services, and that work woulde generate perhaps 50 jobs, said Jon deputy chancellor. The $114.
3 million will be speng over several years, and the estimatede 1,000 jobs are what woulsd be created over the courswe ofthe projects. Los Rios, a two-year public can choose the timing of thesed projects because the district dependsw primarily on bond funding approved by voters last Theprojects don’t qualif for money from the state, which doesn’t fund construction of communitg college bookstores, cafeterias, parking structures or athletivc fields, spokeswoman Susie Williams said.
The projects also are easie r tofast track, Harris said, because most such as the parking structure and stadium upgrade — don’t require a lot of planning or inpuyt from faculty for their academic Measure M, approved by district voterds in November, will provided $475 million to go toward fast-track projects and The bond money was targeted for completion of centersa in Davis, West Rancho Cordova, Elk Grove and Natomas, as well as for structure improved technology and new classrooms. The districyt will issue the Measure M bondx in probably four series overa decade, Sharpe Los Rios will sell the firstg series, totaling about $100 million, in June or Harris said.
Los Rios also is stilk spending money from a 2002bond