MEASURE M TO HELP CANYONS BOND WOULD GRANT COMMUNITY COLLEGE $160 MILLION FOR EXPANSION.

Byline: CONNIE LLANOS  Staff Writer

VALENCIA -- Surrounded by bottomless bowls full of their theme candy -- M&Ms -- supporters of a college bond measure are working hard to get out the vote.

Measure M, a proposed College of the Canyons construction bond, would grant the 30-year-old school $160 million for expansion.

With just eight days till election day, staffers at the headquarters are making use of their donated office and chocolate-induced sugar highs to make endless calls to Santa Clarita Valley residents to rally support.

``I think that education is an investment in a community's future,'' said Dianne Van Hook, president and superintendent of College of the Canyons.

So far, no organized opposition has surfaced.

If approved, property owners would pay $9.73 a year per $100,000 of the assessed value of their home. That amounts to an average $30 annually, according to a consultant hired by the campaign.

A 55 percent majority is required to pass Measure M, which would provide the college with the funds to build its first three buildings for the new Canyon Country campus. Measure C funds, approved by voters in 2001, covered the purchase price of that property and the grading.

The bond funds would also qualify the college for $70 million to $80 million in state matching funds which would help fund several expansion projects including the modernization of the campus library and the construction of a permanent university center.

Sue Bozman, the college's spokeswoman and communications manager for Measure M, said she is especially pleased with the community's support of the bond.

Bozman said the measure has bipartisan support and has been endorsed by sheriff's deputies, nurses, school boards and the business community.

Bozman acknowledged a possible backlash from some voters upset over construction overruns in the William S. Hart Union High School District that that some people are not ready to vote for another bond measure, citing fear of mismanaged funds as a primary concern.

A citizen oversight committee would be appointed immediately to oversee Measure M expenditures. It also would be subjected to a construction management plan that would require board approval for each step in a construction project.

The business community has come out in strong support of the bond, touting its possibilities to improve the local economy.

``That facility is about teaching and training future employees to be high quality employees for the employer base of SCV,'' said Larry Menkin, president and chief executive officer of the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce.

``We are putting up as many homes as we can and providing as many jobs as we can, but both of those will stop if we cannot find employees to move into the community to buy homes ... the real issue is finding talented employees to fill the jobs that exist in the community,'' Menkin said.

The college hopes this measure will finance its badly needed expansion.

While enrollment includes a growing number of students living outside the Santa Clarita Valley, Van Hook is quick to refute claims the college would be subsidizing education outside of the community.

``The community college is here to provide for the community's needs, it is an open door for anyone who chooses to improve themselves and Measure M will provide us with the funds to build and have the space to accommodate all of those who desire to enroll,'' Van Hook said.

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