REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

Transcription

1 REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE Thursday, MINUTES Prior to the regular meeting, Gary Nellesen, Director, Facilities Planning & Management, and committee members Jaejin Eum, Mindy Miracle, Samuel Tharpe, Tony Torng, and Fidel Vargas, Sr., were given a driving tour of the campus to see the Measure R projects and Measure RR project sites. Joining the tour were Vice President Mike Gregoryk and John Beckton, Project Executive, Bovis Lend Lease. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Mt. San Antonio College Citizens Oversight Committee was called to order at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday,. CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Walt Allen Jaejin Eum Mariana Lake Steve O Sullivan Samuel Tharpe Fidel B. Vargas, Sr. Albert Chang (6:13 p.m.) Heidi L. Gallegos Mindy Miracle Alta Skinner Tony Torng CITIZENS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT None. STAFF PRESENT John S. Nixon, President/CEO Mike Gregoryk, Vice President, Administrative Services Gary Nellesen, Director, Facilities Planning & Management John Beckton, Project Executive, Bovis Lend Lease Diana Casteel, Executive Assistant to the President and Board of Trustees GUESTS PRESENT David K. Hall, President, Board of Trustees

2 Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 1. INTRODUCTION OF NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS College President John Nixon welcomed new members Jaejin Eum, Mindy Miracle, Samuel Tharpe, and Tony Y. Torng. Each committee member gave a self-introduction and explained what constituency they represent on the committee. Representing business/community are: Walt Allen, Heidi L. Gallegos, Albert Chang, Mariana Lake, Samuel Tharpe, Tony Torng, and Fidel B. Vargas, Sr. Alta Skinner is the senior citizens organization representative. Mindy Miracle is the taxpayers representative. Jaejin Eum represents the student organization. Steve O Sulllivan is the representative of the college advisory council or foundation. 2. ELECTION OF CHAIR/CO-CHAIR It was moved by Alta Skinner, seconded by Walt Allen, to nominate Heidi L. Gallegos as the Citizens Oversight Committee Chair. There were no other nominations. Motion unanimously carried. It was moved by Heidi L. Gallegos, seconded by Samuel Tharpe, to nominate Tony Torng for the position of Vice Chair. There were no other nominations. Motion unanimously carried. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was moved by Mariana Lake, seconded by Steve O Sullivan, to approve the minutes of the November 5, 2009, meeting. Motion carried. Alta Skinner abstained. 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. 5. FINANCIAL & PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORTS Mike Gregoryk, Vice President, Administrative Services, introduced Gema Ptasinski and Dan Warden from the audit firm of Vicenti, Lloyd, Stutzman LLP, who provided a review of the performance and fiscal audits of the Bond projects. The reports were for the year ending June 30, The Performance Audit, as presented by Mr. Warden, found that, based on the procedures performed, the College has properly accounted for the expenditures of the funds held in the Construction Fund and that such expenditures were made on authorized Bond projects. There were no findings and recommendations. Mr. Warden noted that the recommendation for the previous year s finding had been implemented.

3 Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes Page 3 New to the Performance Audit this year (see Audit, page 5) was a listing of the individual projects with associated costs. The District has incurred cumulative total costs of $211,741,767 through June 30, 2009, of which $26,725,367 were expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, Ms. Ptasinski reviewed the financial audit. In performing the audit, the objective was to document that the College is in compliance with spending of Bond proceeds appropriately. While doing that, they look for any weaknesses in the system. Finally, their objective is to provide the Citizens Oversight Committee with a report so that it can fulfill its obligation to provide a report to the community. Based on the audit, it was determined that the College has properly accounted for the expenditures of the Proposition 39/Measure R General Obligation Bonds and received an unqualified opinion, which is the best an organization can receive. It was moved by Alta Skinner, seconded by Mariana Lake, to accept the Financial Audit, as presented, and recommend that it be approved by the College Board of Trustees. Motion unanimously carried. 6. REPORT ON MEASURE RR Vice President Gregoryk provided a brief summary of where the College is related to issuance of Measure RR bonds. He reported that, because the district s assessed valuation has dropped 2.1%, the College is not able to sell bonds at this time. Committee members were reminded that the College promised voters that it would keep their costs of both Measure R and Measure RR to $25 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. Because construction costs are currently low, the College is very interested in moving forward with projects. Mr. Gregoryk said the College is pursuing a financial bridge loan of about $35 million in order to continue construction on campus and take advantage of low bids. As an example of the current construction costs, Mr. Gregoryk said the bids for the last four projects have come in at about $16 million less than anticipated. Vice President Gregoryk shared a listing of the Measure RR projects. Committee members were provided with detailed information on each project including the project budget, schedule, a rendering of the building, and the goal for each project. Mr. Gregoryk said that he originally thought Measure RR would build out in 8 years; however, he now believes it will be closer to 15 years. 7. CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UPDATE For the benefit of new members, Gary Nellesen, Director, Facilities Planning & Management, provided an update on all Measure R projects, whether they have been completed or are still in progress. He explained how to read the sheets on each project, which include information on the budget, sources of income, changes made to the project, and the project schedule. Generally, these updates include only those projects that have had changes since the last Committee meeting. He provided the following updates on current construction projects:

4 Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes Page 4 Project 5 Agricultural Sciences Construction on this project is ongoing. It is about 70% complete. Occupancy is expected in fall Project 6 Child Development Center This project is ready to begin construction just awaiting funding. It will be the first project to go into construction when Measure RR funding is available. Project 10 Design Technology Building The College broke ground on this project in October There should be structural steel in place by the time this Committee meets in May. While removing concrete slabs in preparation of the construction site, black felt material and transite pipe were found underneath the concrete slabs. All construction activity was halted. Samples removed from the site were determined to be asbestos-containing materials. This has now been addressed. This is an month construction project. Mr. Nellesen said that, overall, Measure R projects are going well and are nearly completed. Committee members Alta Skinner and Walt Allen commended staff for the quality of the reports presented. 8. COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMUNICATION Committee member Vargas reported that Mt. SAC Relays Director Doug Todd attended one of the Baldwin Park City Council meetings last month and acknowledged the support the City, and particularly staff (Koby Guzman) from Baldwin Park High School, have given to the Relays over the years. Mr. Vargas provided some of the history between the Relays and coaches from Baldwin Park. Mr. Todd told the City Council that Baldwin Park residents are welcome to attend the Relays at a reduced fee of $5.00. Mr. Vargas said he very much appreciated Mr. Todd s recognition of Baldwin Park s effort over the years. Trustee Hall invited Committee members to attend next Tuesday s Industry Manufacturers Council Human Resources Luncheon (as his guest) where Ginny Burley, Mt. SAC s Vice President of Instruction, will be speaking on the current challenges facing California s community colleges. Committee Chair Heidi L. Gallegos invited Committee members to the Joint Mayor s Prayer Breakfast on Friday, February 19, 7:15 a.m., at the Diamond Bar Country Club. The event is hosted by the Regional Chamber of Commerce San Gabriel Valley. Committee member Alta Skinner commented on how fortunate the local communities are to have a college like Mt. SAC in our back yard. The College is a wonderful resource for both students and the community.

5 Citizens Oversight Committee Meeting Minutes Page 5 9. PRESIDENT S REPORT Dr. Nixon welcomed new members and thanked returning members for their continuing support. Dr. Nixon encouraged new members to review the binder of information given to them tonight because it contains information on the committee s purpose and activities. One of the committee s responsibilities is to report to the community each year on how bond dollars are spent. A copy of last year s report is included in the binder. The College also reports regularly on the College web site and in other documents that go out to the community, such as the Annual Report to the Community and the Class Schedules. Dr. Nixon said a lot of good is occurring on campus, and it is unfortunate that the State is in such poor financial shape. The College received less funds this year than it did last year but is serving about the same number of students. President Nixon said the College is doing all it can to maintain the quality of its programs and services, but is forced to turn students away. 10. NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Thursday, May 6, at 6:00 p.m., in Founders Hall. 11. ADJOURNMENT JSN:dc It was moved by Mariana Lake, seconded by Alta Skinner to adjourn the meeting at 7:05 p.m. Motion unanimously carried.