$91 MILLION SAVINGS SEEN FOR THE LACCD.

Byline: LISA M. SODDERS Staff Writer

Cost-cutting measures could save the Los Angeles Community College District an estimated $91 million over the life of its $2.2 billion Proposition A/AA construction program, district officials said Wednesday.

A draft report prepared by DMJM/JGM, program managers for the bond project, found that seven of the district's cost-saving measures are projected to save at least $91 million -- or about 4 percent of the total program -- by the time building is completed in 2012.

``This is money that can be redirected into other construction projects, so we don't have to ask the taxpayers for more money,'' said Nancy Pearlman, board of trustee member.

Soaring construction costs worldwide have forced the nine-campus district to scale back its ambitious plans several times and shelve entire buildings since voters approved the Proposition A/AA bonds in 2001 and 2003. District officials have identified nearly $3 billion in projects that are currently unfunded.

The largest savings -- $29.4 million -- come from utility rebate credits earned by district facilities that generate their own power through solar panels or that incorporate energy-saving designs in buildings' construction.

Other initiatives include having fixed-fee guidelines, engineering reviews of all projects costing more than $7.5 million, a bulk furniture purchasing program and an owner-controlled insurance program that covers the district, as well as general- and subcontractors.

Some of the savings already have been channeled into other projects.

The board also approved giving Doris Givens a one-year contract to serve as the special assistant to the chancellor, at a salary of $136,374. Givens has served as the interim president for both Los Angeles City College and West Los Angeles College.

``We're still experiencing enrollment losses throughout the district, and her charge is to help us reach out to churches and community-based organizations where we've not really made a concentrated effort,'' said Adriana Barrera, senior vice chancellor for the district.

In addition to working on enrollment outreach, Givens will help Sylmar- based Mission College prepare for its March accreditation visit by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and will work with a district program designed to groom future top leaders, Barrera said.

Los Angeles Valley College's request to fast-track a $1 million project to make emergency repairs to the Valley Glen college's rapidly deteriorating water line and utility infrastructure also got the board's blessing Wednesday.

Trustees further approved a 25-year lease between Valley and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for a quarter-acre parcel of land at Fulton Avenue and Burbank Boulevard that will become one of the main entrances to the college, and a $240,000 relocation payment to a local restaurateur who had been leasing the property.

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

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