SANTA CRUZ — Passage of Proposition 55 is good news for UC Santa Cruz, which has been waiting for money to upgrade engineering facilities and keep the McHenry Library expansion on track.

The $12.3 billion bond measure includes $690 million for UC; UCSC is slated to get nearly $54 million. Proposition 55 was a companion measure to an earlier bond measure, Proposition 47, approved by voters in 2002.

"Now, all segments of the state’s public education system can move forward with critical facilities projects," said Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood.

She had lobbied for the bond measure to pump up the local economy and provide facilities that serve as a springboard for research innovations.

UCSC building projects are broken down into three components: preliminary plans, working drawings, and construction. The new bond covers various components; for some projects, planning work was covered under Proposition 47, with construction work covered under Prop. 55.

Campus projects funded under Prop. 55:

Baskin Engineering: Changes to Baskin Engineering Building, to begin in December 2004 or January 2005, are a large part of UCSC’s share of the bond. More than $4 million would be spent to convert existing labs and other spaces to larger nanotechnology, biomolecular engineering, and electrical engineering research spaces and make safety improvements, such as adding sprinklers.

Also scheduled for 2004-05 are preliminary plans and working drawings, at a cost of $389,000, for another phase of alterations. These include a mathematics classroom, additional labs and research space, and safety improvements such as sprinklers. Construction, at a cost of $3.94 million, is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2005-06.

McHenry Library: The McHenry Library project has $1.46 million set aside in the bond for working drawings in 2004-05. An addition to the existing building, in the area of the current loading dock, is planned. Once the addition is completed, parts of the existing building will be renovated to improve space for library patrons and for academic departments and research. Construction funding of $32 million is tentatively scheduled for 2005-06. Additional funding, possibly from a future bond measure, will be needed to complete this project.

Seismic corrections: The bond measure funds working drawings and construction at four different locations, at a cost of $7.51 million. The locations are Stevenson Academic Building, Hahn Student Services Building, Cook House, and Barn H near the base of campus.

Digital Arts: The bond provides $1.33 million in preliminary planning in 2004-05 for the Digital Arts Facility, to be built between the Baskin Studios and the Music Center. The building will provide classrooms and laboratory space.
In addition, $841,000 is set aside for working drawings to improve production facilities in the Experimental Theater in 2005-06. As with the McHenry Library project, additional funding will be required to construct this project.

Humanities and Social Sciences: The bond issue tentatively includes $2 million in equipment for the new Humanities and Social Sciences building in 2005-06, to be constructed on what is now a parking lot northwest of Cowell College. Construction costs have already been budgeted, and groundbreaking is expected this winter.
Preliminary planning for infrastructure improvements involving exterior utility work are tentatively scheduled, at a cost of $465,000, for 2005-06.

While planning for these projects is continuing, the timing will be influenced by the budget process in Sacramento, said Frank Zwart, campus architect and associate vice chancellor for physical planning and construction.

The education bond was approved with a 51 percent yes vote statewide. It received strong support in Santa Cruz County, with 58 percent in favor and 42.2 percent opposed.

The $12.3 billion bond measure provides $10 billion for K-12 schools and $2.3 billion dedicated to community colleges, CSU and UC.

The 2002 bond measure provided $11.4 billion for K-12 schools and $1.65 billion for higher education.