Community College Seeks $180 Million for Facilities

SANTA MARIA , Calif. — Allan Hancock College President Jose Ortiz is asking trustees and the community to support a $180 million general obligation bond measure to repair aging buildings and construct new facilities.

Trustees will decide at a Jan. 31 special meeting whether to move forward with the measure, which most likely would be placed on the June 6 ballot.

The community college serves all of northern Santa Barbara County , a portion of eastern San Luis Obispo County , and part of Ventura County . The campus was originally built 85 years ago for 2,000 students. Hancock’s last school bond was approved in 1958 and funded the construction of four buildings.

More than 75 percent of the college’s structures are 40 years old or older, according to Ortiz. The college’s main inadequacies are leaky roofs, old wiring and plumbing, non-functioning ventilation and air conditioning, and an inefficient mainframe.