> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Taxpayers might be asked to buck up - URL: https://www.smdp.com/taxpayers-might-be-asked-to-buck-up/ - Published: 2004-06-07T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T04:30:55.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import *Gardens, parks and education facilities part of new bond proposal* *By Daily Press staff* SMC — A recent study suggests that there aren’t enough recreational facilities in Santa Monica — but for $175 million in taxpayer money, the shortage can be met, officials said. Recognizing that Santa Monica College and the Santa Monica and Malibu communities face a shortage of parks, physical education, recreational and other facilities, college officials are considering a $175 million bond measure for the fall ballot to fund a wide range of local projects. The projects would use “cooperative partnerships” — formal agreements with other entities — to operate the facilities. The bond proposal is the result of a year-long SMC board-ordered study of the college’s facilities and an effort to identify partnership opportunities for physical education, recreation, culture, social welfare and transportation, officials said. The study found that though Santa Monica has one of the highest population densities in Southern California, it “falls significantly below average in comparison to other Los Angeles County and Orange County cities in available park and recreation open space.” If the board approves the proposal, $100 million of the $175 million would be used for cooperative partnership projects with the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. The bond would require 55 percent approval by voters in the college district, which encompasses Santa Monica and Malibu. The average cost of the bond would be about $6.40 a month for the average homeowner and $1.12 per month for the average renter. The SMC board is tentatively scheduled to vote in July on whether to put the bond on the November ballot. Voters passed a $160 million bond measure at SMC two years ago that funds nearly two dozen projects, including replacing the earthquake-damaged liberal arts building and temporary buildings with modern labs and classrooms. Facilities for the nursing, environmental studies, earth sciences and math programs also will be upgraded and improvements are needed to meet standards for campus lighting, security and the American Disabilities Act. Renovations are expected to be completed over the next 10 to 12 years. SMC had another bond issue for $22 million in 1992 to build an addition to the science building and library, but most of the buildings on campus are more than 50 years old. And the local school district recently completed building and renovating nearly $100 million worth of new facilities. About $94 million has been spent in the past six years on 19 projects — everything from a performing arts theater at Santa Monica High School to a new pool at Lincoln Middle School to several new playing fields. The money was generated by Proposition X — a school bond passed by voters in 1998\. About $45 million of the construction costs were funded by Prop X, and the rest came from state funding dedicated for school facility modernization projects. The bond is expected to expire in 20 years. The most recent report found that SMC is lacking in its physical education building, music complex, concert hall and several buildings at satellite campuses. SMC also faces a shortage of athletic fields, particularly for women’s soccer; outdoor tennis courts; music and dance performance facilities; childcare facilities; and buildings to support new programs in emerging technologies, officials said. The report also found that SMC provides virtually no instructional programs in Malibu and has no program that uses the college district’s 26-mile coastline as a resource. Discussions with officials from the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, as well as the school district, revealed an opportunity for the agencies to pool their resources. Each agency makes a partial contribution and, in turn, is relieved of the burden of making the entire contribution, officials said. The college would be able to leverage its own investment in projects in a way not otherwise possible, officials said. Proposed projects to be funded by the bond measure include: ■ Physical fitness, natural history and marine biology facilities on the five-acre site at 415 Pacific Coast Highway, the location of the old Marion Davies estate. ■ A new children’s fitness outdoor park on SMC’s main campus. ■ A 3.6-acre botanical garden at the Civic Center. ■ A new career opportunity center for emerging technologies and to improve the college’s ability to vie for state and federal grants. ■A performing arts complex at SMC’s Madison campus open to community organizations. ■ An early childhood development lab and childcare facility. ■Extra physical education field space and earthquake replacement tennis courts. ■ Improvements to the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. “Cooperative partnership projects that add field space in Santa Monica and Malibu will improve the instructional program, as well as be of benefit to a significant number of community members,” the report says. SMC President Dr. Piedad F. Robertson will present a report to the SMC Board of Trustees at 7 p.m. on June 7 in the Ilona Katz board room, business building, 1900 Pico Blvd. College officials then plan to make presentations to the Santa Monica and Malibu city councils, the school district, and at public meetings of campus constituencies and organizations. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 7, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/060704.pdf?ref=smdp.com)