A College of the Canyons representative said Thursday that the contract with a Valencia-based developer to build an off-campus vocational training center is still “under review,” even though the college sent the developer a letter on July 3 terminating the contract.
The July 3 letter from Omar Torres to developer Intertex states that the college is exercising its “right of termination for good cause 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The two-paragraph letter was obtained by The Signal on Monday after a California Public Records Act request was originally made on July 24. University officials did not explain why it took from July 24 to August 12 for the one-page, two-paragraph public document to be released.
College spokesman Eric Harnish said Thursday that both parties were reviewing the contract, but added that he could not provide further details.
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Directors, which oversees the COC, met Wednesday in a closed session that lasted about an hour and a half. The agenda included three items for discussion: hiring an interim superintendent, a meeting with interim superintendent David Andrus about his contract and a meeting with the district’s general counsel about the “significant risk of litigation” related to 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 had previously stated that the board would be “informed of any proposed changes at a future board meeting,” but that “the college remains committed to moving forward with the construction of a permanent advanced technology center where students will receive hands-on, high-tech 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 would be funded with funds from Measure E. Measure E is a $230 million general obligation bond approved by Santa Clarita Valley voters in 2016.
Under the contract, either party had the right to terminate the contract before Intertex received funds for construction.
The site selected for the project, a 3.78-acre site at 26650 Valley Center Drive, off Golden Valley and Soledad Canyon Roads, is currently a dirt lot with two Intertex signs posted near the road.
Since October 2023, this site has been owned by Intertex and has an estimated land value of approximately $5.2 million. Previously, 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.
Before the board approved 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 design technologies.”
The facility will specialize in these types of programs and will also house the major equipment necessary to carry out these programs, he added.
“It’s an exciting project and there is a growing demand for skilled workers in these career fields,” Harnish previously told The Signal. “The college looks forward to advancing these programs to meet the needs of local employers and provide students with the opportunity to gain the skills that will lead to rewarding careers.”
A temporary center was set up at 23606 Diamond Place, off Center Pointe Parkway. That center was funded in part with $1 million in federal funds secured by Republican Rep. Mike Garcia of Santa Clarita through a $1.5 trillion spending package passed by Congress, according to a COC news release.
An additional $5 million in federal funds were secured through the $1.7 trillion omnibus package that President Joe Biden signed in December 2022. Garcia and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and then-Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) were responsible for securing those funds to purchase the equipment needed for high-quality training in robotic automation production, nondestructive aircraft testing and firefighting, according to a COC press release.
