Delta College to tackle long project list after $598 million bond measure passes

From the possibility of a Health Science Building to technology upgrades across campus, San Joaquin Delta College is about to see a building boom.

Following the approval of a $598 million bond measure, the college’s Board of Trustees will now decide how to allocate funds between projects. The board is expected to take up the matter at a meeting Dec. 17.

The bounty is being provided by Measure K, a countywide ballot initiative that is passing with 60% of the vote in semifinal results from the Registrar of Voter’s office following the Nov. 5 election. It needed at least 55% to be approved.

 “Passage of Measure K will make a massive impact on the lives of thousands of families for decades into the future,” Delta President Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson said in a statement.

Trustees will be able to work from a long list of proposed projects over three phases. Some of the first proposed endeavors include technology upgrades across the entire Stockton campus. Many roofs and air conditioning units will be replaced, leaky pipes fixed, parking lots and accessibility improved and landscaping spruced up. The administration and district police could also get better quarters.

The need for a Health Science Building was spelled out in the college’s 2017 master plan, along with many other improvements now possible under the approved ballot measure.

Lawrenson, in her statement on Measure K, noted growth in the college’s program for nursing, a fast-growing profession. The college is “training nurses and other skilled professionals who serve our community, and opening doors of opportunity in an affordable way,” she said.

And Delta’s refresh isn’t limited to its Stockton campus.

A permanent building is a high priority for the college’s South Campus in Mountain House. The North Campus in Lodi could get better facilities for public safety, hospitality and its viticulture program, which teaches the care and management of vineyards in a region where a large portion of California’s premium wine grapes are grown. New classroom space will likely also come to the Manteca Center.

A second phase of upgrades will include modernizing some of the major buildings on the Stockton campus, including Locke, Budd, Holt and Shima.

The final projects will focus on improvements to Delta’s satellite campuses, including additions to the permanent building on South Campus and a list of projects in Manteca — more parking, student housing and a police substation, among them.

Manteca could even get a greenhouse.

“This is a historic moment for Delta College and we cannot express strongly enough our thanks to community members for their support,” Charles Jennings, president of Delta’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement.