Monitor 2014-2-13

Page 1

OHLONE COLLEGE

MONITOR TRUSTEES

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2014 Vol. XLVII No. 1

Discovering a local icon, Mission San Jose. See story on pages 4-5

PARKING CONSTRUCTION

SMOKING

Board moves frontage project forward

MAGDALENA JURYS / MONITOR

Most smokers comply with ban

LOUIS LAVENTURE Editor-in-chief

The Board of Trustees unanimously approved a non-binding letter of intent Wednesday night to develop about 15 acres of surplus property along Mission Boulevard on the Fremont campus for rental housing and retail space. According to the letter of intent, Clark Realty Capital LLC would lease the property for 60 years with an option to extend the lease for another 30 years. The property would be developed to include about 300 units of rental housing and 20,500 square feet of retail space. “The property is being offered for lease, not for sale,” Ohlone consultant Andy Plescia said. “The lease is for 60 years with the option of 30 more.” The board also voted unanimously Wednesday night to solicit competitive bids for the lease of the property, as required by the state Education Code. The deadline for bids is April 9. Clark will pay a deposit of $80,000 within five days, which will be refunded if it is not the successful bidder. The district issued a request for proposals in October 2012 to develop the Mission frontage property, Continued on Page 3

FREMONT, CA OHLONEMONITOR.COM

ALIZAIB LODHI Staff writer TAM DUONG JR. / MONITOR

Ohlone officials and construction personnel break ground on the new parking structure at a ceremony on the Fremont campus, which is scheduled to be completed by August 2015.

Ohlone breaks ground on new parking structure District decides not to add temporary lots at Fremont campus LOUIS LAVENTURE Editor-in-chief College officials have decided not to build temporary parking lots on the Fremont campus to help make up for the closure of lots B and C next week. “We re-did the count to determine how many spots are needed and it was determined that the temporary lots are not necessary,” college President Gari Browning said Wednesday night

after administrators, board members and construction personnel gathered in Lot M for the groundbreaking of a new multi-story parking structure on the south side of campus. “Based on the number of spots we need, there was no need to invest that much money if we don’t have to.” The new parking structure is part of a series of construction projects paid for by the $349 million Measure G bond, approved by voters in November 2010. Lots B and C, north of Hyman Hall, will close Tuesday to make room for portable classrooms to be used dur-

ing the demolition and construction in the center of campus, which is scheduled to begin in Spring 2015. The original plan was to construct a temporary parking lot with 350 spaces in mid-February and another with 251 spaces in the fall to make up for the loss of 455 spots when lots B and C close. However, officials said the extra spaces aren’t needed. “We have been exceeding our expected surplus by hundreds of parking spaces,” said Heidi Birch, senior program manager for Gilbane Building Co., Continued on Page 3

After one semester, most students and staff are complying with Ohlone’s new campus-wide smoking ban, officials said. The ban took effect Aug. 26. Volunteers have been spreading the word about the new policy since then, and new “No Smoking” signs have been posted around campus. Still, there are a few holdouts. “Officers are now coming in contact with repeat offenders, who have been warned previously,” campus police Chief Steve Osawa said. “Issuing of citations will begin soon and it is anticipated that many of those repeat violators will stop once they know that they will be cited.” Officials are still debating how much violators will be charged. “The College Council is working on a system to fine Continued on Page 3

JOSEPH MCCORD 1934-2014

Former Ohlone College trustee dead at 79 Longtime Fremont resident lobbied for college’s founding SHANNON SORGE News editor Former Ohlone College trustee Joseph McCord, who lobbied for the college’s founding in the 1960s, died Jan. 1 in Peoria, Ariz. He was 79. Born in St. Paul, Minn., on April 24, 1934, McCord moved to California in 1946. He graduated with a major in English and a mi-

nor in political science in 1960 from the University of California, Berkeley, where he edited the UC Pelican. Alan Kirshner, a retired Ohlone political science and history professor, met McCord in a chess group when McCord was serving on the college’s Board of Trustees. “He was a liberal democrat and had a sincere sense of community service,” Kirshner said. “He ran for congressman once even but didn’t get through – too bad. He was just really bubbly, fun, passionate, energetic,

Joseph McCord

kind. I mean, any positive word you could think of fits him.” McCord worked in insur-

ance sales, journalism and electoral campaign management. He also served in the Air National Guard in the 1950s and re-enlisted in the Army National Guard in the 1960s. He later served actively in the Army, studying at the War College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and in the Pentagon Liaison Office in Edgewood, Md. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after 28 years of service. McCord lived in Fremont for many years, and became active in politics and community affairs. He helped form the Ohlone

College district and served as trustee during the construction and opening of the Fremont campus. “He was very passionate about the community, education and he really wanted young people to succeed,” Kirshner said. “He was instrumental in getting the campus here on the hill and in my opinion it is beautiful and made the right way.” McCord moved in 1995 to Peoria, Ariz., where he ran an automotive news magazine and served as a board member of the Peoria UniContinued on Page 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.