To the editor:
In May, Lincoln County residents have the opportunity to vote “yes” on a trades education training bond for Oregon Coast Community College.
The need for trades education is not new but has become more pronounced. Workers skilled in trades such as welding/fabrication, construction, maritime engineering and other trades will help meet local and statewide demand.
The bond will construct the Oregon Coast Advanced Technology & Trades Center on the college’s Newport campus. In addition, it will improve classrooms, campus-wide safety, disaster resilience, and technology.
The bond will raise $33 million with a levy of 21 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value — replacing the existing college levy with no tax rate increase. This is possible because the bonds that funded the construction of the college’s current facilities will be fully paid on June 30, 2025. The new bond, if approved, would take effect July 1, 2025.
The bond measure voters approved in 2004 to construct OCCC’s current facilities carried a tax levy of 34 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Since that time, the amount levied has steadily declined, to 21 cents per $1,000. The new bond will be 21 cents per $1,000, replacing the existing bond and resulting in no tax increase. A Lincoln County home, with an assessed value of $200,000 would continue to pay $42 per year.
To encourage construction of trades-focused buildings, the state of Oregon is offering an $8 million match that is available upon the bond’s passage. But is not guaranteed in the future. This match will stretch locally sourced funding even further.
The proposed building will have large open spaces, giving flexibility that is essential with career-technical and trades programs. The area will have power drops, roll-up doors, and ample workspace for equipment that will be on wheels. The workspaces will be flexible and accommodate multiple programs at the same time.
The voter-approved 2004 bond provided residents with three new campuses, plus an aquarium science building — all built on-time and under-budget.
A “yes” vote on Measure 21-224 will allow OCCC to provide trades training in Lincoln County and to produce qualified workers for skilled trades and apprenticeships serving Lincoln County’s residents, businesses, and industries.
Our community has the opportunity to have OCCC take the next step toward realizing its full potential as a true driver of economic development in our coastal region by providing training in essential vocational skills.
For more information, visit the College’s website at oregoncoast.edu/ocatt. Questions? Please contact me at paddyoc33@gmail.com.
- Pat O’Connor, Lincoln City/co-chair of Friends of Oregon Coast Community College
I think it is wonderful for the college to expand and add trades to their offerings, but before choosing which trades to offer, consult with Angell Job Corps so there is not overlapping of trades. Angell Job Corps has five or six trades offered and have wonderful union members who instruct those trades. Students can complete their high school education at the same time with the learning of a trade. It is a beneficial program for the county, which also offers inexpensive labor on weekends the community can hire. No need to replicate a good thing.
But do any of the Job Corp students stay in Lincoln County after they finish their time with Job Corp or return back to their original homes elsewhere?
As far as retaining skilled trades workers on the Oregon Coast, it ain’t gonna happen unless we’ve got jobs for them to do.
I am a long-time electrical apprenticeship instructor in Newport and serve on our apprenticeship board. We expressed these concerns to the community college when this trades building discussion began last year and have been pleased with the results so far. We are in the middle of developing a formal partnership on skilled trades workforce training with OCCC, and they have been accommodating to these issues on all fronts. They recognize that established trades programs already exist and are aiming to grow in a manner that will supplement and benefit, not supplant. Looking forward to continuing this process!