A College of the Canyons official said Thursday the contract with a Valencia-based developer to build an off-campus career technical education center is still “under review,” despite the fact that the college sent the developer a letter canceling the contract on July 3.
The letter dated July 3 from Omar Torres to Intertex, the developer, stated that the college was exercising “the right of termination for convenience under section 15 of the agreement” with Intertex to build the $20-million Advanced Technology Center.
The two-paragraph letter was obtained by The Signal on Monday following a California Public Records Act request originally submitted July 24. College officials did not explain why it took from July 24 to Aug. 12 to release the one-page, two-paragraph public document.
Eric Harnish, spokesman for the college, said Thursday both parties are reviewing the contract, then added that he could not discuss further details.
The Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees, which oversees COC, met for roughly an hour and a half in closed session during Wednesday’s meeting, with three items listed for discussion: the employment of an interim superintendent; a conference with the interim superintendent, David Andrus, on his contract; and a conference with the district’s legal counsel on “significant exposure to litigation” involving two potential cases.
The agenda for Wednesday’s meeting did not include any details about the potential litigation. The ATC was not listed under any agenda item for Wednesday, nor was there any reference to Intertex.
Harnish said previously that the board would “receive an update on any proposed changes at a future board meeting,” but that “the college remains committed to moving forward with building a permanent Advanced Technology Center where students can receive the high-tech, hands-on training that will prepare them for rewarding careers with local companies.”
The board approved the contract with Intertex at its May 10, 2023, meeting. The project was set to be funded using Measure E funds. Measure E is a $230 million general obligation bond approved by Santa Clarita Valley voters in 2016.
According to the contract, both parties had the authority to terminate it prior to Intertex receiving the funding for construction.
The chosen site for the project, a 3.78-acre site located at 26650 Valley Center Drive, off of Golden Valley and Soledad Canyon roads, is currently a dirt lot with two Intertex signs posted near the street.
That site is owned by Intertex as of October 2023, with an assessed property value of approximately $5.2 million. Prior to that, the land was owned by VBC 3 Investors, which is affiliated with Aspen Management, which has offices in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys.
Prior to the board approving the deal, Harnish told The Signal that the center would be an “off-site facility that will train students in advanced manufacturing, CNC (machining), welding, fabrication and construction technologies.”
The facility would specialize in those types of programs, as well as house the large equipment necessary to run those programs, he added.
“It’s an exciting project and there’s growing demand for skilled employees in these career fields,” Harnish previously told The Signal. “The college is excited to move forward with these programs to meet the needs of local employers and create opportunities for students to gain the skills that lead to rewarding careers.”
A temporary center is in place at 23606 Diamond Place, off of Centre Pointe Parkway. That center was partially paid for using $1 million in federal funding secured by Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, through a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package passed by Congress, according to a COC news release.
An additional $5 million in federal funding was secured through the $1.7 trillion omnibus package signed by President Joe Biden in December 2022. Garcia and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, along with then-Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, were responsible for getting that funding to help purchase equipment required to provide high-quality training in robotic automation production, non-destructive inspections of aircraft and firefighting, according to a COC news release.
