Minutes of Board Meeting
January 16 2008
NSCC Northstar Dining Room

Directors Present:
Liz Kearns, Jerry Owens, Debra Willendorf, Tom Meyer, Kay Mesirow, and Ellen Beck.

Board Representatives Present:
None. We received word before tonight’s meeting that Kathleen Braden is ill and will not be able to join us.

Visitors: 
President Ron LaFayette, Bruce Kieser, Facilities and Plant Operations Director, and Orestes Monterecy, the new Capital Facilities Manager (all from North Seattle Community College), Megan Heahlke (Legislative Aid to Bob Ferguson), Ron Horning, and Marco Falzone (NSCC student).

Vice President Jerry Owens called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

Introductions were made around the tables

Minutes:
The November 14, 2007 minutes were approved as presented.

Arrival of NSCC President. At this point, President Ron LaFayette arrived. We therefore made a second round of the tables for introductions.

Treasurer’s Report:
There was no report this month, but will be one in February 2008 (and September 2008).

NEW BUSINESS:

Future Plans for North Seattle Community College. Bruce Kieser first made reference to the letters he and President LaFayette had received and the meeting that had taken place with Liz Kearns and Kay Mesirow. He said he had learned about an element of his “job” that he had not known about and had not been doing. He said he intended to change that and would keep us informed.

President LaFayette said he learned from the letters and meeting not only how much we care, but how we view where we live and what we care about.

Liz took some share of the blame and responsibility for not having lines of communication totally open because she had not followed through with the same degree of outreach and education that she had done with past presidents of NSCC.

Bruce then made a power point presentation explaining what was happening at the College and what plans have been made, as well as what changes would be made if funding for future projects is obtained.

NSCC has been reassessing what their role should be in the future, what type of institution they need to become, bearing in mind that NSCC competes with other community colleges for programming and funding, and funding is tied to the number of students attending NSCC.

The 15-year project plan for the college involves projects mostly to renovate existing buildings within existing footprints. There is only one project with a small addition to the footprint. The only changes planned for green spaces are to enhance them by replacing a concrete plaza with a green roof, and developing a rain garden.

The history of enrollment for the last ten years has been to remain static. This is what is happening at other community colleges in the area (Shoreline, Edmonds, and others). Lower enrollment is the result of changing demographics and good economy with lower unemployment. There has also been a drop in headcount (number of students coming on campus) associated with the lower enrollment partly because increasing numbers of e-learners are counted as FTE students but do not come to the campus.

Funding is crucial because of the need to fund programs and update and maintain infrastructure, including electrical systems, mechanical systems, power distribution, lighting, way-finding, etc. In other words, NSCC needs funding to keep the facilities in good form. Many of the prospective projects in the Long Range Campus Plan relate to these issues.

President LaFayette said, “We will be here in the community long into the future.” The current Major Institution Master Plan (MIMP) authorizes 1,689 parking spaces. There are 1,607 currently on campus. The 15-year plan does not foresee increasing that number. Under consideration is to upgrade about 115 existing spaces to current codes for storm drainage, green space, and lighting.

The College has had to notch up requests for capital funding. Access and circulation need improvement. The open space and landscaping is overgrown and has grown out of scale. The original buildings were built in 1969 and do not meet current seismic codes.

We were given a list of 11 capital projects “planned to renew campus facilities and meet programmatic needs.” These are projects from the present to 2023 for which the College hopes to get funding:

1. Integrated Resources Center – Renovation and expansion of south end of Technology Building to create advising and counseling center for employment services and workforce training.
2. Technology Building – Renovation and expansion at middle and north end of Technology Building to provide teaching labs and college tutoring center.
3. Student Center – Renovation and expansion at far north end of Technology Building to provide a new student center including cafeteria/assembly space, private dining rooms, kitchen, and student-dedicated spaces.
4. Plaza Roof Repair – Replacement of leaking roof membrane and deteriorating paving at roof plaza of Art & Science Building with a “green roof.”
5. Library Building – Renovation to improve Library, music department, and performance venues for music and drama.
6. Stormwater Conveyance – Repair failing storm water infrastructure, protect existing wetlands, and meet contemporary code and sustainable design standards.
7. College Center Surge Space – Tenant improvement to vacated spaces to provide surge space for subsequent Instruction Building renewal projects.
8. Instruction Building Renewal – Phase I – Renovation of two-thirds of building to meet program needs and accommodate contemporary instructional technologies.
9. Instruction Building Renewal – Phase II – Renovation of remaining one-third of building to meet program needs and accommodate contemporary instructional technologies.
10. College Center Renewal – Phase I – Renovation of two-story wing to meet program needs and accommodate contemporary instructional technologies.
11. College Center Renewal – Phase II – Renovation of the three-story wing to meet program needs and accommodate contemporary instructional technologies.

There are plans to have the offices of the Department of Social and Health Services and WorkSource (including Employment Security Department) relocate to the College. They will integrate with college programs to provide enhanced services to students and other job seekers, or those needing help with social issues to re-enter the community as successful productive members.

President LaFayette stated that the College with its largest enrollment was busier in terms of headcount than it will be with the current lower headcount per FTE plus relocation of those programs to the College. Having these integrated services located on community college campuses has been an initiative from the State. NSCC is a good fit for this addition (which has already happened at a smaller scale on other community colleges). Now people needing assistance, education, and/or retraining, can get it at one place. Disability, family issues, and other social support, which the college already provides students, will be expanded and included in the new integrated facility.

The College does not believe that folks living in the neighborhood will notice any difference with addition of these agencies to NSCC. The current estimate of peak headcount was that for a peak hour no more than 100 visitors would be gained.

The College has received $1.97 Million to begin the design of changes needed at the College to house these services. The entire project (including full design costs) would cost $26 Million. If funded, one year would be needed to complete the design work, and between 2009-2011 construction would be completed.

President LaFayette feels like the College is in a very good place now and is happy in his job here. He is in his 6th year at NSCC, and really enjoys working at an institution that has the ability to change students’ lives for the better.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, February 20, 2008.

The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Ellen M. Beck, Secretary