POLL SHOWS COLLEGE BOND MIGHT PASS.

Byline: Jim Skeen  Staff Writer

LANCASTER - A telephone poll of voters showed borderline support for a $130 million bond measure being proposed for Antelope Valley College.

College officials say the poll results lead them to believe an informational campaign could get it passed.

``We're encouraged by this strong showing of community support,'' said college spokesman Steve Standerfer. ``If the board calls for a bond election in the next few weeks, our challenge will be to make sure voters understand how AVC is vital to the community. A bond will allow us to keep our doors and classes open to an increasing number of valley residents.''

In a telephone poll of 500 likely voters, a majority indicated they would support a bond, but at levels hovering around the 55 percent needed for passage. The numbers rose when respondents were given information about the projects a bond would fund.

Antelope Valley College officials are expected to decide within a few days whether they will ask voters to approve the multimillion-dollar bond issue to finance improvements to the Lancaster campus and to start the long-desired Palmdale campus.

In order to qualify for the March primary ballot, the college board must decide by Dec. 5 whether to pursue the bond.

To gauge public support, the college commissioned a telephone poll by Evans/McDonough, a Berkeley-based public opinion research firm.

Before the pollster described the project, 54 percent of those polled said they would support the bond, just under the 55 percent needed to pass. Another 4 percent indicated they were leaning toward voting in favor while 31 percent were opposed and 11 percent undecided.

After they were given information about the projects the bond money would support, 64 percent indicated they would vote in favor and 2 percent indicated they were leaning toward approving the bond. The percentage of those opposed to the bond dipped to 28 percent while 6 percent indicated they were undecided.

After presenting the information and indicating property owners would be assessed $25 each year per $100,000 of assessed valuation, support dropped to 55 percent with 3 percent leaning toward approval. The percentage of those opposed rose to 38 percent while 4 percent said they were undecided.

Pluses for the college include that it is a well-known entity in the community and that voters are feeling positive about how things are going in the region. The poll indicated 58 percent felt the Antelope Valley was heading in the right direction.

``Things seem to be happier here,'' said Ruth Bernstein of Evans/McDonough. ``Your voters are likely to invest in the future.''

A major negative for bond supporters is that there is a solid core of voters who will not support any bond measure, Bernstein said.

College officials are looking at a bond measure to help meet a growing student enrollment. They said much of the Lancaster campus is aging, and it lacks lab, library and office space.

The college also needs about 500 parking spaces.

The bond would also allow the college district to establish a Palmdale campus. The initial Palmdale campus would cost about $38 million and the college district would be responsible for contributing $16.2 million to that effort.

The Palmdale campus would be part of the 540-acre College Park housing development proposed for a site south of Barrel Springs Road, between 37th and 47th streets east. Initial enrollment at the Palmdale campus would be about 3,000 students.

Eventually, the campus would grow to handle 10,000 students - equivalent to the current number at Antelope Valley College.

Other big-ticket items proposed for bond funding include a $10 million renovation of the student center; $6.9 million to build a science and allied health center; $10.3 million for a two-story building to house math and computer information/science programs; and $7 million for a humanities and social sciences building.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com