CCC board of trustees approves five-year plan

May 7—A five-year master plan that includes needed repair and replacement projects at Clovis Community College, as well as projects that would be be carried out only if funding were sufficient received approval on Tuesday from CCC's board of trustees.

The plan is a requirement of the New Mexico Higher Education Department as a basis for project funding, Norman Kia, the college's vice president of information technology and operations told the board.

While some projects in the plan are for repair and replacement at campus facilities, which "we will do," Kia said, others are part of a "vision plan," based on what CCC officials would like to see.

Many of the vision plan projects are not concrete, Kia said, and would depend on availability of state funds and some are unlikely to be implemented.

If all the projects included on the wish list were carried out, the total cost would be $132.9 million, but, Kia said he does not think that lower priority projects are likely to be funded.

The most expensive items, including a $55 million remodeling of the campus' main building, and a $34.6 million regional career and technical education center were listed as third- and fourth-level priority projects.

According to the plan, top priority is given to expanding nursing instruction facilities near the current Allied Health instruction building, installing a new primary entrance to the campus's main building, construction of monuments to mark secondary entrances to the main building, construction of an outdoor classroom between the main building and the campus recreation center, and maintenance projects at the Allied Health building and the campus library.

The top-priority projects would cost a total of $12.2 million between 2023 and 2024, according to the plan document.

Jessica Lawlis, an urban planner with Dekker, Perich and Sabatina, the architectural firm that drew up tha plan, described at length the plan's proposed changes that would unify the campus with walkways and redesigned parking lots, and add gathering places and outdoor spaces for study and classroom instruction.

Lawlis also described a plan that would divide the campus' main building into clearly defined administrative, student services and classroom areas.

In line with the master plan, the board also approved two top priority projects for submission to the HED, including renovation of several canopy structures on campus for $697,448 and flooring replacements in the commons area, snack bar and connecting hallways in the main campus for $507,659.

The projects would be funded with $903,830 in state funds and $301,279 in local funds, according to documents presented to the board, if they receive approval from state sources.

The board also approved a three-year contract with Ellucian Banner for financial software service. The total of the three-year contract is $830,709, according to a document in the board's agenda packet.

The board on Tuesday also chose the Texas Book Co. to serve as the operator of the campus bookstore for the next five years, beginning June 15. Texas Book offered to contribute $84,595 a year to campus revenues.

Texas Book outscored competing bidders, including the current operator Valore, in knowledge and experience, proposals for building out and managing the bookstore, and economy and price, according to a summary of evaluations of competing offers conducted by a committee of faculty and staff.

Darren Croom, president of Texas Book, said his company also provides bookstore services to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., as well as New Mexico Tech and other campuses in Texas and New Mexico.

The board also heard a presentation on the campus' TRIO program, a federally funded program that helps low-income students who are the first in their family to attend college through their first four years.

TRIO Program Director Joleen Borja said TRIO is working with 180 students on the CCC campus. Khaatimah Medina, a student enrolled in TRIO, said the program has been very helpful to her as she makes her way through the education process. Medina said she intends to continue to work toward a bachelor's degree after she leaves CCC, and TRIO will still be helping her.

The board on Tuesday also:

— Approved a list of spring graduates, including 175 associate's degrees, 96 certificates of completion and 95 certificates of achievement.

— Acknowledged two Cosmetology faculty members, Autumn Anderson and Meranda Chapman had won excellence award from the National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development.