STUDYING FUTURE OF CAMPUS OFFICIALS TAKE SUGGESTIONS ON PLANNING FOR COLLEGE SITE.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Antelope Valley College officials plan to spend nine months gathering community input on what course offerings and services should be included at the new Palmdale campus.

The first such meeting Wednesday of about 40 civic leaders produced a number of common suggestions in regard to what skills students at the new campus will need, including basic speaking and writing skills, work ethic skills, bilingual and diversity education, and computer skills.

``We want to find out from the community who our students will be,'' said Rosa Hall, AVC's vice president of student services.

Beyond general education courses such as English and math, there was a wide array of course offerings suggested, including those for health fields, the hospitality industry, agriculture, veterinary training, engineering and international trade.

In terms of services, students will need to have transportation and child care.

The Palmdale college campus will be built along 37th Street East, south of Barrel Springs Road. The campus is part of the 540-acre College Park project, a proposed 800-home housing development.

The first of two agreements needed for the project to go forward is in hand - the donation of 70 acres for the campus. That donation is tied to a provision that the college provide $5 million toward the construction of street and utility improvements.

The second agreement committing the college to the improvements is being reviewed by the developers. The college's board is expected to vote on the agreement at a special meeting in a few days, said AVC President Jackie Fisher.

``This is a historic event - a new Palmdale campus,'' Fisher said.

AC Martin Partners Inc. is assisting the college with the master plan for the new campus. The firm has worked with a number of other colleges on planning activities, including California State University, Northridge, and Pasadena City College.

There are some design constraints on the Palmdale campus property, including the presence of a flood plain in Hunt Canyon, which takes up about 18 acres of the property. The area will be used for physical education and recreation fields, said Robert Thompson, a senior designer with AC Martin.

Two earthquake fault lines run through the site. Those areas will be used for parking and athletic fields.

The campus is being built in a relatively undeveloped location at the edge of the San Gabriel Mountain foothills, with a few homes nearby but the nearest housing tracts more than a mile away and the nearest stores or other services more than 2 miles away.

``We need to create a 'there' there,'' said Thompson.

The college site had been owned by Bushnell Binoculars founder David Bushnell, who died in March. The land for the campus is being donated by a development partnership of Bushnell Enterprises and Schoellerman Investments.

The balance of the College Park land is being acquired by Western Pacific Housing, a division of D.R. Horton, the nation's largest home builder. The $5 million agreement will be between the college and Western Pacific.

Bushnell had first proposed providing the property as part of a housing development 13 years ago.

AVC now holds Palmdale classes in part of a leased office building on Palmdale Boulevard.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com