Call to Order:

Trustees introduced themselves

Trustees absent: Tom Breen, Mark Dover, Leonard Washington, Jesse Sandow

Others present: Steve Kinsella, Joe Keeler, Tony Ruiz, Kathy Zanger, Franz Schneider, Christine Breen, Jan Chargin, Joe Morris, Lissette Knight, Jim Goodell

Trustee Kent Child reported that several community meetings have been scheduled and ads in the local newspapers have been placed asking for community input on the site acquisition. The college has received suggestions for possible sites and is looking into them while continuing with the due diligence process on the parcel at the airport. This meeting was scheduled at the high school to give high school parents an opportunity for input.

There was general agreement that the Gavilan campus in Hollister is positive, and appreciation was expressed for giving the community an opportunity for input, it included the following:

• Fact finding would be beneficial to determine what relationships exists between the site selection and transportation, the demographics of the student body, the number of part-time and full-time students, and the number of high school students taking classes.
• Consider community planning and smart growth instead of sprawl; consult with the city and county planning commissions.
• The Hollister airport is being considered by the National Department of Home Security as an emergency airport, what impact will that have on the campus?
• Consider community goals and plans, consult and create relationships with the Parks and Recreation Department, Friends of the Library, Arts Commission, city, and county, to see what their plans are and to develop creative solutions by pooling and sharing resources such as athletic fields and parking lots
• Consider cultural/academic/health/recreational centers instead of providing facilities for team sports, the demographics have changed from the 1960s, and the interest in team sports may not be there.
• Reconsider community group proposal and materials and consider all options in order to make an informed decision.
• Criteria for site selection needs to be revised. Contact State legislator representatives to work out a solution that addresses the community needs and works with the outdated State mandates. Don't assume it can't be done.
• Consider possible community reaction to decision such as confusion, anger, or opposition.
• Consider the college's relationship with its neighbors at the airport and possible development there.
• Consult with the county and city and get transfer development credit program for Gavilan.
• State criteria seems to be arbitrary and outdated, a full-service campus may not be needed as the demographics have changed and community college students are not thinking of participating in team sports; they are thinking of completing GE requirements and transferring to university, retraining, or self enrichment classes. The need for so much acreage for parking may also be unnecessary if the campus was within walking or biking distance.
• Not everyone may understand that enough land is necessary for the college to grow. Not all the buildings will go up right away, it is a slow process.

Steve Kinsella indicated that the State mandates the size for the number of students to be served and the services at the Hollister site is already beyond the educational center stage. Long range planning is needed for services to be provided 40-50 years in the future and eliminate the need to rent space for classrooms throughout the city. The 100 acre State mandate is viable and works well. While it may be more efficient to have a multi-level parking structure, the State does not pay for it; students would have to be charged to pay for it. Jan Chargin indicated that some level of athletic fields are necessary for PE classes.

Trustees thanked the public for attending and giving input, it will be considered when making the decision. Trustee Kent Child stated that another community forum will be scheduled on May 9, 5:00 p.m., at the Hollister city hall. The site election sub-committee will report. The meeting will be fully advertised.