Bond campaign takes off, student support urged

By Rachel Kramer

The campaign for the Mt. Hood Community College bond kicked off Thursday with a party at Billy Bob’s Hot Rod Café in Gresham, put together by the Friends of Mt. Hood Community College.

Part of the Nov. 7 elections, the $58.8 million bond proposal is intended to improve key aspects of the facility.

Projects include increasing safety and security on campus, replacing the roof, upgrading the academic center with respect to mechanical, electrical, seismic upgrades and asbestos abatement, and replacing the Early Childhood Education building.

The bond, if approved, will cost taxpayers in the Mt. Hood Community College District 17 cents per $1,000 of estimated home worth. This would mean that an individual owning a home worth $200,000 would have to pay $34 a year.

“The cost to each taxpayer is not excessive,” Tony Palermini, co-chair of the bond campaign committee, said. “This will not be a big impact on any individual’s taxes. The amount raised, $58.8 million, will go a long way toward improving the condition of the buildings.”

Palermini, former superintendent for the David Douglas School District, is working with Fred Bruning, co-chairperson of the bond campaign, and Mike Bennett, treasurer, to get their message out to the community.

“It has been 34 years since a bond measure for improvements to the building has been approved,” he said. “If you didn’t do anything to your house for 34 years, you would have electrical problems, roofing problems, and your furnace wouldn’t work. You can’t go that long with out some major needs occurring to the facility.”

During the summer, some remodeling took place on campus. According to MHCC President Robert Silverman, the improvements were small compared to the large scale of things.

“The magnitude of price is the difference,” he said. “The (cost to fix the major problems) with the facility is $270 million.”

According to Silverman, the bond is going to focus on the major things, like getting rid of the asbestos and upgrading the building so that it is earthquake prepared.

“We could never afford to do those things with the amounts of money we have,” he said.

Palermini urges students to get involved with the bond campaign.

“Students can play a key role in this campaign,” he said. “You are going to be spending a lot of time here. It takes money to refurbish the things that need to be refurbished. This is your house and your house needs to be taken care of.”