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Columbia College Eyes Campus for Calaveras

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The Yosemite Community College District announced it might seek to place a bond on the November 2004 ballot to build much-needed facilities, including a Calaveras County campus.

Dr. Jim Riggs, president of Columbia College, said Tuesday that trustees of the district are considering plans to put a $250 million to $350 million bond on the ballot to pay for construction of new buildings and to remodel or modernize existing building at its Columbia College and Modesto Junior College campuses.

Both schools have prepared master plans which include lists of projects each campus would like to see completed in the next decade or so. Riggs said the Columbia College list includes the construction of a new science building, improvement of the campus parking facilities and possibly the construction of an emergency services training center.

Also on the list is a possible Calaveras County campus, to be built somewhere in the Highway 4/49 area. Riggs said the district foresees a lot of growth in the south county and the 20,000-square-foot building would include classrooms, a learning resource center, science labs and offices for student services like counseling and financial aid.

“We are seeing substantial growth in Calaveras County,” Riggs said. He noted the Glory Hole Center outside Angels Camp, “… was too small the day we moved in,” in August of 2002. The 4,000-square-foot Glory Hole facility contains a nursing laboratory, a computer lab and other classrooms with a few small offices.

Riggs said the Calaveras campus is one of the top priorities for Columbia College, but that construction wouldn´t begin for years. He said trustees don´t have to decide whether to place the bond on the November ballot until the summer of next year.

Calaveras Enterprise story by Mike Taylor. For more Calaveras news, click:calaverasenterprise.com

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