Gavilan College President Pedro Avila told the Hollister City Council on April 3 that construction will begin with a groundbreaking April 10 for the new 77-acre San Benito County campus at the corner of Fairview Road and Hwy 25. The official groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for June, Avila said.
At their Dec. 13 meeting, the Gavilan College Board of Trustees approved the guaranteed $43.8 million for the new campus.
Avila and Damon Felice of Felice Consulting Services, which is managing the campus, gave an update on the project to the City Council. Avila said the college is moving forward with a $500,000 septic system should the council stay firm on its decision not to allow hookup to the city’s wastewater infrastructure.
He said choosing a septic system was not ideal but that he had no choice. Both the current and previous city councils have been determined to prevent any developments outside the city’s sphere of influence from using the city’s infrastructure.
The sticking point for the council has been that Gavilan was going to piggyback on the two housing projects it has rejected. The 141-unit Lands of Lee project would provide a second access to the campus and the 189-unit Dividend Homes project would have paid for the 1,400 feet of hookup to the Cielo Vista extension at a cost of “several million,” according to Felice.
“Are we going to have septic or not?” Avila asked rhetorically. “We might, even temporarily, because in order for us to deliver this project by August 2024, we have to move forward. If we don’t have a sewage connection by December of this year, that’s a go-no-go date for us. We have to either move forward with septic or if we have the connection we’ll connect.”
He remained hopeful, adding, “I just want to make sure that that’s clear. It’s not that we want it to be septic. It’s really an issue of budget and timing. We are going to build the project though with the sewage connection ready to go. At any point in time when the connection is made available to us, we will connect and disconnect the septic.”
When Councilman Rolan Resendiz complained at length about how the two developments would impact the city and schools, Mayor Mia Casey called “point of order” at least three times in an attempt to bring him back on topic.
“We’re not here to advocate for that [developments],” Felice said. “We’re here to explain why we’re doing something and we’re here to let you know that there is an option on the sewage. There’s a developer that’s willing to pay for it. If that’s not an option, then there’s got to be some other option.”
Resendiz said he would only support a septic system. Councilman Tim Burns asked about the status of Dividend Homes. Felice said he believed the project was working on a tentative map and was not aware if it still needed county approval. Burns also asked how many students would be able to attend the college. Felice said approximately 1,500 from Hollister. Councilwoman Dolores Morales said taking 1,500 students off the roads would save lives and benefit the community.
On Feb. 7, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors denied approval of the Lee project out of concern for traffic congestion. The county did not respond before publication on the status of the Dividend Homes project. However, on Feb. 23 Bill Lee’s attorney sent a “trolling agreement” between the county and the William Lee Family Trust prohibiting commencement of an action.
In part, the letter stated: “The San Benito County Board of Supervisors’ denial of the Lands of Lee ‘Project Applications’ (EIR, Rezoning/PUD, Vesting Tentative Map, Affordable Housing Plan) violated controlling state and federal law, should be reversed and the Project Applications should be reconsidered for approval. We are prepared to file suit against both the county and the individual supervisors who voted for the motion. We are likewise exploring County Counsel’s Office’s role in the denial and the listed grounds for denial and whether that is separately actionable.”
The first phase of Gavilan’s San Benito County campus construction is being funded through Measure X, a $248 million bond measure passed in 2018 that authorizes the district to upgrade infrastructure including renovations at the Gilroy campus such as the library, new buildings for the science, computer and technology labs and repairs to classrooms. It allocated $52 million for permanent classrooms and labs in San Benito County.
Measure X, however, was preceded by Measure E in 2004, which was passed by the voters in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties to raise $108 million to fund projects in both counties, including permanent classrooms, labs, a library, job training and college transfer counseling in San Benito County.
While some of the money raised was used to purchase the site where Gavilan’s San Benito County campus will be built, the lion’s share went to Santa Clara County Coyote Valley project, a police training facility. Nothing was built in San Benito County.
Felice said Measure X will fund the long-promised campus to include a maintenance and operations building, as well as portable classrooms for labs and career technical education. He said current plans for the campus include 150 parking spots and EV charging stations. The 35,000-square-foot building will also have a learning resource center, cafeteria and community room.
Related BenitoLink stories:
Supervisors reject Lee subdivision appeal | BenitoLink
Consultant paints optimistic picture for Gavilan’s finances | BenitoLink
Gavilan trustees OKs cost limit for San Benito County campus | BenitoLink
Gavilan superintendent speaks on SBC campus | BenitoLink
Interview with Gavilan College’s new President-Superintendent Avila | BenitoLink
Project manager discusses Gavilan’s San Benito campus progress | BenitoLink
Hollister mayor and council member block sewer hookup for Gavilan | BenitoLink
Gavilan College and housing developments seek connection to city’s septic system | BenitoLink
Gavilan College hosts forum to discuss San Benito County campus | BenitoLink
Gavilan president talks $248 million bond and local campus | BenitoLink
COMMUNITY OPINION: 100 Million Good Reasons to Oppose the Gavilan Bond | BenitoLink
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