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Committee OKs tech center grant Amount is far short of $3 million sought By PETER WONG SALEM -- Planning for a Southern Oregon advanced technology center in Medford would continue under a $100,000 grant that a legislative budget subcommittee approved Saturday. The amount is far short of the $3 million originally requested in Senate Bill 782, or even the $300,000 that was included in a different bill but dropped. But the $100,000 would pay for construction plans, efforts to attract private and other investment, and curriculum development. "While we wish for full funding to construct the regional advanced technology center, we believe these initial steps will help us progress significantly toward the goal of providing advanced technology support services," wrote Harvey Bennett, the recently retired president of Rogue Community College. Rep. Rob Patridge, R-Medford, said the center would serve six Southern Oregon counties and be a cooperative venture of four community colleges, Southern Oregon University and Oregon Institute of Technology. He said the grant would enable planners to try to raise much of the money for the center outside the state budget. "It is to work in partnership with manufacturers to train workers and help fledgling manufacturers in the region," he said. Though the request met no opposition in the Legislature's joint budget subcommittee on transportation and economic development, Sen. John Lim, R-Gresham, said he was concerned about the appearance of preferential treatment for Southern Oregon. Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland, chairs the subcommittee and Patridge sits on it. The 17 community colleges unsuccessfully sought $1 million each from lottery-backed bonds for capital improvements. Rep. Leslie Lewis, R-Newberg, said training in advanced technology already is offered in Wilsonville and Central Oregon. "I know Southern Oregon has been hard hit by the problems in the timber industry," said Lewis, a native of Medford, a 1972 graduate of Medford Senior High School and the co-chairwoman of the joint budget committee. "I fully support doing something to help this region train people for jobs and get more economic development. "This is a tiny amount of seed money we can give them to help launch a program that could eventually generate $30 million. I think it's not being preferential, because other areas have them -- and Southern Oregon has been left out." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA