Dissecting Delta

As budgets outpace funds, college officials take a hard look at which projects may have to go

By Alex Breitler
Record Staff Writer
July 06, 2008 6:00 AM

STOCKTON - It's no mere trim. In the coming weeks, San Joaquin Delta College trustees must cut, hack and chop away at projects that voters believed would be built when they approved $250 million in bonds four years ago.

While construction is under way on the main Stockton campus, some of the college's largest bond projects - including satellite campuses envisioned for Mountain House, Manteca, Lodi and the Mother Lode - may be scaled down or even eliminated.

At a recent public workshop, administrators said they're more than $60 million over budget on the Measure L bond.
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Of the nearly two dozen projects discussed, 13 will cost more than originally thought. In some cases, the board may consider eliminating or reducing projects on which millions of dollars have already been spent.

In one case, turning back would force the college to forfeit roughly $30 million in state matching funds, possibly jeopardizing Delta's ability to seek such funds in the future.

And then there's the notorious Mountain House campus, which is projected to cost $30 million more than trustees had approved.

Difficult choices await the board.

"It's quite obvious we didn't do a good job from the beginning," said Delta Trustee Ted Simas.

If you're a homeowner who lives in the community college district, which includes portions of five counties, the bond is costing you about $17 a year per $100,000 of your home's assessed value.

Here's where your money has gone, and where it may yet go.

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