Santa Monica College officials continue negotiations with Los Angeles County, which owns Civic Center land suitable for a satellite campus.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
The ongoing plan to open a satellite campus for Santa Monica College within the City of Malibu was discussed by the Malibu Public Facilities Authority and SMC officials during a special meeting last week at city hall.
SMC Superintendent and President Dr. Chui L. Tsang last week said there is heightened interest in implementing the campus in the Civic Center area, on property owned by Los Angeles County that currently houses the Malibu Courthouse and Malibu Public Library.
“From all analysis, it seems like the most logical selection,” Tsang said in a telephone interview. “The existing [Malibu Courthouse] building might have to undergo a lot of renovation and maybe even rebuild, but the $20 million allocated should be adequate for our plans. We’re working hard with [Los Angeles] county to get an agreement together as soon as possible.”
The question of how to best spend $20 million for development of the facility continues to work its way through the bureaucracy of a Joint Powers Agreement, a $135 million bond measure approved by Santa Monica and Malibu voters in 2004.
SMC has already used $2.5 million of the bond money to help the City of Malibu purchase land in the Civic Center for Legacy Park, and has earmarked another $2.5 million for the park project.
While the bulk of discussions on the issue were held during the closed session portion of the meeting, Malibu City Councilmember John Sibert said the decision-making process is slowed by “getting all the financial pieces worked out.”
“The money is there for building the appropriate facility,” Sibert said after the meeting in a telephone interview. “But we’re dealing with building something in Malibu, so you can’t expect it to happen overnight.”
Sibert also cited potentially contentious issues the satellite campus could create, such as traffic problems and the ever-present dilemma presented by wastewater management.
Sibert said that among the issues under discussion was the possibility of locating another interim facility somewhere in Malibu during the construction period of the satellite campus. Currently, some SMC classes are offered at Malibu High School and at the Senior Center on Stuart Ranch Road.
“Right now, Santa Monica College classes are taking care of the younger and older citizens in Malibu, but we’d like to see opportunities addressed for everyone in between,” Sibert said.
Malibu City Councilmember Sharon Barovsky agreed that the Public Facilities Authority is committed to getting the satellite campus up and running as soon as possible.
“We’re not the major players in this,” Barovsky said. “We have veto power, but we can’t make it happen. At the moment, I think SMC is caught up in negotiating with the county, but it’s complicated. There’s the fear with the economy.”
Tsang acknowledged that progress was more difficult during challenging economic times, but said it is essential to address the needs of hundreds of potential students in Malibu.
“We are hoping to have a plan in place very soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, the third party to the project, Los Angeles County, also seems to be on board.
“We’ve always been very supportive of a satellite campus in Malibu,” Susan Nissman, field deputy for L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, said last week in a telephone interview.
“The fact remains that there aren’t really any new updates,” Nissman continued. “This project involves SMC use of county property, so what’s being worked out is on that end of things. Things are still moving forward, but I can’t say there is any ‘new’ news.”