This is a semi‐annual email newsletter to help inform our San José • Evergreen Community College District community of the District’s progress on the implementaton of the voter‐approved Measure G programs. The improvements made possible by these voter-supported bond measures have allowed us to continue our mission to assist students in achieving their educational and employment goals.

The District previously issued $185 million in General Obligation Bonds to finance projects authorized under Measure G-2004. In the spring, the District recognized municipal bond interest rates had fallen to a new low.  With this came an opportunity to save the taxpayers money by refinancing those Measure G-2004 bonds that met the eligibility requirements.

Similar to refinancing a home mortgage, savings were generated for the District’s taxpayers by replacing the higher interest rates on the old bonds with lower interest rates on the refunding bonds. The savings for the District’s taxpayers was approximately $10 million in present value, net of transaction costs. 

The District received no additional proceeds from the refinancing; all savings went directly to the taxpayers. The refinancing did not extend the original term of the old bonds, and all new bonds will be paid off as originally scheduled.

Funded by Measure G-2010

This project is  currently under construction, and is expected to be ready for occupancy by Summer 2016. The Mathematics, Science and Social Science (MS3) building will be 65,000 square feet and include 7 science laboratories, 14 classrooms (including three tiered classrooms), and offices for the Math/Science and Social Science faculty. The Fitness Center will be an 8,000 square foot physical health center designed to inspire a healthy life-style by encouraging fitness participation, student interaction, and will promote sustainability.

Funded by Measure G-2004 & G-2010

The PE Building Project is scheduled to be complete by Spring 2017. This project includes a new gymnasium, fitness center, team rooms and offices. Located adjacent to the track, football field and softball field it will help consolidate the athletics facilities and will replace the auxiliary gym. The existing racquetball courts will be renovated into a Wellness Center for the department.

Funded by Measure G-2010

The 26,000 square foot Automotive Technology facility will contain two small lecture classrooms (approximately 1,500 square feet each), a medium sized classroom accommodating up to 30 students and a large lecture classroom for up to 60 students. There will be thirty (30) automobile bays requiring specialty equipment such as lifts, utilities, exhaust hoods, and upgraded mechanical systems. Other specialty rooms include a tool room, engine machine shop, engine cleaning room, fuel & electrical lab, and smog testing. There will be approximately seven individual teacher offices adjacent to a common work space, as well as numerous secure storage areas throughout the facility. The Project has been mandated by the District to achieve a minimum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification as awarded by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to incorporate sustainable building practices into the design and selection of systems and equipment. A projected completion is planned for classes to begin within the new facility in the Spring of 2016.

Funded by Measure G-2010

This project completed in Fall 2015, and included the upgrade of electrical and mechanical services to facilitate the installation of a 20-booth welding workshop and associated fume extraction system. An outdoor steel assembly yard was constructed together with new learning spaces including a classroom and office.

Funded by Measure G-2004

San José • Evergreen Community College District is developing a Joint Use Education Center in partnership with Milpitas Unified School District, for the purpose of better serving the needs of the residents in Milpitas and surrounding areas.

The facility will be located adjacent to Thomas Russell Middle School in Milpitas and provide a blend of secondary and post-secondary education that will allow high school students to access college level courses while completing their high school curriculum. Work Force Development courses will also be offered to the larger community.

Construction has started and is planned to be complete in the Fall of 2016.

At San Jose City College: Over the past several months Wireless Access Points (WAPs) were upgraded in high priority areas, and a new core network was implemented. The building network upgrades included replacing all of the network switches from 10/100Mbsp to 1Gbps-40Gbps capabilities, and replacing all legacy WAPs. The remaining locations to be upgraded this winter are the Library, the General Education Building, and the Press Box at the Football Field. Most recently, a new Storage Environment was deployed in the Data Center, which will provide a virtual desktop infrastructure for lab and classroom applications. In addition, a project has begun to upgrade the Uninterruptible Power Supply in the MDF building.

At Evergreen Valley College: Currently, the new campus Main Distribution Facility (MDF) is being built in the Student Center. A fiber infrastructure is being designed with installation scheduled for Spring 2016. The core network project begins in December 2015 and will connect buildings as the fiber is installed in the Spring and Summer of 2016. In addition, all legacy WAPs have been replaced, with new cabling being installed throughout campus. The new Automotive Technology and South Campus complex networks will be built starting this winter.

At the District: In June 2015 most of the District Office Data Center equipment was moved to the new District Office Data Center at 40 S Market St. New firewalls and routers for Gigabit internet access were deployed to protect against internet outages, and backup servers and software were installed to protect the new Colleague ERP server environment.

The San José Evergreen Community College District is currently accepting applications for volunteer members for the Measures G-2004 & G-2010 Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.

To find out more please go visit the link below:

http://cboc.sjebond.com/application/