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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 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 How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest 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 August 19, 2004 RCC will ask for $24 million bond Measure would pay for expansion in Medford plus White City campus By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Rogue Community College will ask voters to approve a $24 million bond levy in Jackson County this fall. The college’s board unanimously approved putting the bond measure on the Nov. 2 ballot. The decision follows two failed bond bids since May 2002. If approved by voters, the proceeds would pay for expansion of the college’s campus in downtown Medford and development of a White City campus for technical and industrial programs, school officials said. About $11.2 million would be used to develop the Table Rock campus in White City and pay off debt from purchasing the 102,000-square-foot former Tyco building and 17 acres of property at the site. The college bought the building and property for $3 million and expects to spend about $8.2 million remodeling the structure. The Table Rock campus is set to open in about a year whether the bond passes or not. It will house programs in welding, electronics, manufacturing, construction, diesel technology and public safety. Advertisement The remaining $12.8 million from the bond proceeds would enable the college to buy and develop buildings at its downtown Riverside Avenue campus and retire debt. Owning buildings instead of leasing would save the college $800,000 a year, officials said. The proposed bond measure would cost Jackson County property owners 14 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, officials said. That translates to $28 per year for the owner of a home with an assessed value of $200,000. Assessed values are used for tax purposes and usually are less than a home’s market value. The community college’s two previous attempts to pass a bond measure failed. In May 2002, low voter turnout felled a plan for a $40 million bond to pay for the technical center in White City and expand Medford’s Riverside campus. The measure got a majority of "yes" votes, but failed because a non-general election requires a more than 50 percent turnout of registered voters. The resubmitted measure failed outright in the general election in November 2002. Under Oregon law, a two-county community college district such as RCC must submit separate bond measures in each county and can only use the funds raised from such measures in the county where the bond is approved. 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