Voters in Santa Fe have overwhelmingly approved a $17 million general obligation bond that will fund construction of a new building for a popular automotive maintenance and repair program at Santa Fe Community College.
The bond will also fund upgrading and renovation work to the school’s William C. Witter Fitness Center.
The community college bond passed with 77 percent of the vote.
In the same election, voters by a 73 to 27 percent margin approved a two-mill levy for the Santa Fe Public Schools that will raise $11.5 million every year for the next six years to pay for a variety of upkeep and renovation projects in the district’s thirty schools.
The community college bond will result in the construction of a 17,000 square foot structure designed to replace an existing 2,000 square foot garage that SFCC officials said was not up to National Automotive Technician’s Education Foundation standards.
The new automotive center will house classrooms and a customized training center. Plans for the new facility also include the building of thick concrete slabs needed to support heavy equipment, and an EPA-approved building exhaust system.
Work on the Witter Fitness Center will include an exterior and interior facelift, an upgrade of the building’s utility equipment, new gym seating and flooring, and repairs to two swimming pools.
In a post-election victory statement Cecilia Cervantes, SFCC interim president, said the school was “inspired to move forward with our bond projects, which will bolster the education of tens of thousands of local community college students annually.”
By Garry Boulard
