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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 4, 2004 RCC celebrates win School will be able to buy and improve buildings it now leases in downtown Medford By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Rogue Community College’s downtown Medford campus was abuzz Wednesday after voters approved the college’s $24 million bond request. "It’s been great," said student Jonna Schellborf, of Ashland. "We are all on a huge high here." The bond levy passed with 47,131 yes votes, or 53.2 percent of the vote, to 41,417 no votes, or 46.8 percent, according to election results posted early Wednesday morning. Final results won’t be certified until Nov. 20, county officials estimated. Publicity director with the campus’ student government, Schellborf, 24, has attended RCC for five years, working toward an associate’s degree so she can transfer to Southern Oregon University to study education. She and other officers with the Associated Students of Rogue Community College rallied students in support of the bond measure "We all worked so hard," she said. "I guess the third time is a charm." Advertisement She remembers the school’s two $40 million bond requests that failed in 2002, one in May that lost because of poor voter turnout and one that failed outright in November. "It seemed like not a lot of people knew about the school and the effort," she said of previous attempts. "I think what really happened is that the first two attempts built up a base of knowledge," said President Peter Angstadt, who came to RCC this summer. "They were great stepping stones." RCC has increased its visibility in Jackson County and impressed people with the variety of training it can offer and the can-do attitude of its students, instructors and administrators, he said. The college also learned something from its past tries for funding, said Mary Louise Doran, dean of the Medford Riverside campus. "You do get better as you try to make it clear," she said. "We learned how to say the message we want to relay and how that compares with what voters hear." Doran said the college also benefited from having a specific, detailed plan for spending the bond proceeds. On previous tries, it asked for $40 million for a technical-training center. This time it could point to the former Tyco building, bought in December 2003 for $3 million, and $8.2 million remodeling project needed to transform the industrial building into offices, classroom and work space for its Table Rock campus. The RCC board has set a special meeting Monday to approve the final bid proposal from Adroit Construction Inc., of Ashland, which will oversee the Table Rock project. Work is expected to start within weeks, officials said. The remaining $12.8 million in bond proceeds will go toward buying and renovating downtown buildings for its Riverside campus and retiring debt. That will free up about $1 million in the college’s annual operating budget for equipment, teaching and other general expenses, officials said. By owning property, the college can develop a downtown campus that meets the community’s and the school’s needs, Doran said. RCC expanded from Josephine County into Jackson County in 1996. It has grown rapidly and currently serves about 3,000 individual students in Jackson County. But those students often are jammed into small or makeshift classrooms. "We’ve had so many plans for growth for so long, but resources have been the stumbling block," Doran said. "We’re just so delighted," Doran said of the bond election results. "We hope this means the community has seen the value of a community college." Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities