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PROPOSITION 47

Bond measure will have major impact on UCI facilities
Voters to decide funding of public education facility needs

Approximately $68 million in critical facility needs at UCI are tied to the voters' passage of Proposition 47 on the November ballot. Statewide, the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2002 would provide $13 billion in funding to relieve overcrowding, accommodate new enrollments, make overdue safety repairs and upgrade California's elementary, middle and high schools, community colleges and universities.

Proposed UCI Projects
UCI expects enrollment to grow significantly over the next decade. To accommodate this growth, building improvements and additions will be required. If voters approve Proposition 47, funds would become available for the following facility projects at UCI:

• Seismic improvements to Rowland Hall
• Construction of Computer Science Unit 3
• Plans to construct Biological Sciences Unit 3
• Expansion of Central Plant and campus cooling capacity.

Rowland Hall Seismic Improvements
According to a structural evaluation completed in 1998, Rowland Hall would sustain severe damage in a significant earthquake. The proposed improvements will correct the deficiencies, upgrading the building to a seismic performance rating in accordance with the systemwide policy on seismic safety.

In addition, the seismic upgrade would provide the opportunity to construct an estimated 39,000 assignable square feet to meet the urgent space needs of the School of Physical Sciences. The project would fortify the building by constructing concrete buttresses to the exterior east and west sides of Rowland Hall. These two areas would be enclosed and finished as laboratory and office space for the School of Physical Sciences.

Construction would begin in March 2003, with completion estimated by March 2004.

Computer Science Unit 3
The proposed Computer Science Unit 3 project would construct two facilities: a lecture hall and a main building for research, teaching and administrative offices.

Providing more than 87,000 assignable square feet of space, the facilities would house the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, general assignment classrooms and surge space suitable for a variety of academic units such as engineering, humanities and social sciences.

The proposed site for the main research building is in the Engineering/Computer Science quadrangle, between the existing Computer Science/Engineering Building and the University Club. The smaller lecture hall would be located across the Ring Mall from the main building and adjacent to the existing ICS2 building.

Construction would begin in December 2003, with completion estimated by May 2006.

Biological Sciences Unit 3
Preliminary plans and working drawings necessary to construct the new Biological Sciences Unit 3 building would also be funded by the measure. In addition to providing critical space for the School of Biological Sciences, the 79,400-assignable-square-foot facility would include 15,000 square feet of offices that would provide short-term growth space for the School of Humanities and would ultimately be assigned to academic support programs. The project also would include a 400-seat lecture hall for general campus use.

The proposed site for Biological Sciences Unit 3 is in the Biological Sciences quadrangle, adjacent to the Science Library and across the Ring Mall from McGaugh Hall.

Construction would begin in December 2004, with completion estimated by March 2007.

Central Plant Chiller Expansion
The Central Plant chiller expansion project would expand the Central Plant building and add the cooling capacity needed to meet campus cooling requirements.

All major campus buildings rely on chilled water supplied from the Central Plant for general air-conditioning, computer cooling and other environmental conditioning. Installation of additional chiller equipment is needed to provide more cooling capacity to serve new buildings related to enrollment growth. In order to accommodate the additional chiller equipment, the Central Plant building requires expansion.

Construction would begin in August 2004, with completion estimated by January 2006.

Supporters and Opponents
Proposition 47 has attracted broad-based support from organizations and associations, including the UC Board of Regents, California State PTA, California Teachers Association, California Taxpayers' Association, California Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters of California, Congress of California Seniors, Californians for Higher Education, California Building Industry Association and California Business Roundtable.

The opposition campaign is not yet organized, but signers of the ballot argument in opposition to Proposition 47 include State Senator William J. (Pete) Knight, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and The National Tax Limitation Committee.

For the full text of the ballot arguments both for and against the measure, visit the Secretary of State's Web site at www.ss.ca.gov.

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