In its first meeting of the semester, Delta College’s Board of Trustees hit the ground running by tackling several high-profile agenda items.
It approved more than $300,000 to move forward with renovation plans for campus athletic fields currently unusable. The board voted on the final sale of the Galt property. Members also elected a new president.
The board also approved the purchase of encrypted police radios and other communications devices for Delta’s campus police. This upgrade to communications equipment is set to cost $1,047,593.
ATHLETIC FIELD RENOVATIONS MOVE FORWARD
The board authorized a $395,000 contract with local civil engineering firm Sigfried to renovate Delta’s track/football, softball, and baseball fields.
These fields have been unusable by student-athletes since the Fall 2022 semester.
The fields have suffered from major weather-related deterioration and were deemed unsafe for use just a few years after they were initially installed.
The Stockton-based engineering company has worked with Delta College before.
In the past, Siegfried was tasked with renovating Burke Brooke Bradley Drive, as well as the DeRicco Student Services Building.
Funding for this new contract is provided by Measure L Bond funds. This bond was adopted in 2003 and sets aside $250 million to update and renovate buildings and facilities on Delta’s campus.
GALT PROPERTY OFFICIALLY SOLD
The sale of a plot of land in the rural city of Galt was also finally approved by the board, for the amount of $1,342,557.50, to the San Joaquin Council of Governments.
This sale comes nearly 16 years after Delta initially purchased the land, with the goal of transforming it into a satellite campus to service members of the northernmost parts of San Joaquin County.
Environmental reviews and infrastructure issues halted this dream in its tracks, and the land sat empty and unused for over a decade. Now, the board has approved the sale of the land for less than what Delta initially paid for it.
NEW PRESIDENT INSTALLED
The leadership change follows a December meeting where the board failed to select a new president. This time, Janet Rivera, who represents Area 3 in North Stockton, was elected as Board President for 2023.
She replaces trustee Dr. Charles Jennings, the representative for Area 4, who served as board president for the last two years.
This appointment came after the board failed to come to a consensus during its Dec. 13 end-of-semester meeting, where the new president traditionally gets elected before the start of the new year.
This stalemate began as an even split down the middle, with trustee Kathleen Garcia, the representative for Area 5, receiving two votes in support of her appointment as board president.
Rivera also received two votes in support of her election as board president. A tie-breaking vote was unable to be cast, as trustee Jennings was absent due to illness.
The board’s newest member, Valerie Stewart-Green, the representative for Area 6, was voted as board vice president during the Dec. 13 meeting. Trustee Catherine Mathis, the representative for Area 7, was also unanimously voted as board clerk.