The contract was already terminated last month when COC said it was “under review.”
Although College of the Canyons officials said last month that a contract to build a vocational training center with a Valencia-based contractor was “under review,” the college had already withdrawn from the contract three weeks before that statement was released.
According to a letter sent by Omar Torres, the college’s assistant superintendent, to Intertex President Darcey Oldhafer on July 3, the college decided to “exercise its right of termination for convenience under Section 15 of the agreement,” effective July 5.
In response to a request from The Signal for comment on recent developments at the Advanced Technology Center, including whether the contract had been terminated, college spokesman Eric Harnish wrote the following in a July 24 email:
“The contract between the college district and Intertex is currently under review by both parties. The Board of Directors will be informed of any proposed changes at a future meeting. The college remains committed to moving forward with the construction of a permanent Advanced Technology Center where students can receive high-technology, hands-on training that prepares them for rewarding careers with local companies.”
In fact, the college had already informed the developer of the termination of the contract by that time.
After multiple sources told The Signal that the contract termination letter had been sent, the newspaper requested a copy of the letter on July 24. The college did not initially respond, but on July 30 confirmed receipt of the request and said it would be treated as a request under the California Public Records Act.
A copy of the two-paragraph, one-page letter was provided to the newspaper on Monday evening, August 12.
COC officials were unavailable to answer further questions Tuesday, including acting COC Chancellor David Andrus, Harnish and Torres.
Oldhafer from Intertex also did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
The two parties had reached an agreement in 2023 that was later unanimously approved on May 10 of that year by the board of trustees of the Santa Clarita Community College District, which oversees the college. The agenda for Wednesday’s regular board meeting does not include any item related to Intertex or the ATC.
According to the contract attached to agenda item 2023, the center was expected to be completed in May 2025 and would cost nearly $20 million with Measure E funds.
Measure E is a $230 million general obligation bond approved by Santa Clarita Valley voters in 2016.
In his letter, Torres wrote that the college was terminating the contract “out of convenience.” The contract states that either party has the opportunity to do so before Intertex receives the funds for construction.
“In addition to any other rights the Company may have under this Agreement at law, in equity or otherwise, (COC) may, in its sole discretion, unilaterally terminate this Agreement at any time prior to (Intertex) securing financing for construction of the ATC Facility,” Section 15 of the agreement states.
The center would be built on a 3.78-acre site at 26650 Valley Center Drive, southwest of Valley Center Drive and Golden Valley 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 Point 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 signed by President Joe Biden 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 to provide high-quality training in robotic automation production, nondestructive testing of aircraft and firefighting, according to a COC press release.
