Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Bond Program Annual Report: January 2009 – June 2010

Photos and story by Gina Whitehill-Baziuk

Dear residents of the PCC District,

In November 2008, the voters of the region passed a bond measure for Portland Community College (PCC). The Bond Measure assured voters that funds would:

• Construct, equip, furnish new buildings for additional classrooms and other college uses at all three campuses, the Southeast Center, Washington County Workforce Training Center, and in Newberg;

• Update existing college facilities with heating, ventilation, plumbing, lighting, roofing, as needed;

• Replace out-of-date equipment and add facilities for workforce training;

• Expand and increase efficiency of space for classrooms, libraries and student support services in existing buildings at PCC campuses and in Sherwood;

• Upgrade technology including distance learning capabilities;

• Make health, life safety, accessibility upgrades including fire alarms, security systems and electrical wiring;

• Increase facilities’ energy efficiency;

• Expand students’ childcare facilities;

• Acquire some land and buildings, and make site improvements for college services; and

• Pay associated bond issuance costs.
  

  Stakeholder engagement - a key part of implementing the PCC Bond Program

One significant lesson learned from previous PCC expansion and renovation projects is the need for the college to fully engage stakeholders, both internal and external, about issues and decisions. The district has adopted a set of guiding principles as the foundation for good stakeholder engagement in implementing the  PCC Bond Program.  Briefly, these include: inclusivity, the opportunity to influence decisions, transparency of information and process, integrity of process, and commitment to good stewardship.

PCC recognizes the enormous opportunity the PCC Bond Program has to help put dollars back into the regional economy. Thus, the architecture firms selected are locally based Oregon firms,  and 20 percent of all contractors are targeted to be minority, women and emerging small businesses (MWESB) firms.

This annual review provides a summary of how bond funds have been used during this first phase – January 2009- June 2010- of implementation. For on-going, up-to-date information regarding the many bond activities across the College, we invite you to visit the new Bond Web Site, pcc.edu/about/bond. Here, you can learn of opportunities for engagement, read about plans underway, review documents, comment, find other ways to get involved.  You will also be able to check in on construction activity via web cams installed at each new building site. These represent just a few of the ways we are delivering on our commitment to the citizens of the PCC district.

Thank you for your continued support and for helping PCC respond to the ever-increasing demand for workforce training and higher education.

Hard copies of the complete report are available by contacting the PCC Bond Program at 971 722-8410 or [email protected].