Hancock College Board of Trustees President Larry Lahr officially resigned from his position on the board, effective April 23, after more than 26 years of service to the college and its students.  

Lahr announced his intent to resign during the board’s April 20 regular meeting, explaining that he was moving outside the area he represented as a trustee.  

“The college is being left in good hands and in good shape,” Lahr said. “I have full confidence in my colleagues on the board and the college’s staff, faculty and administration. I know that Hancock will continue to prosper and improve in my absence.”

Lahr was elected to his first four-year term as a Hancock trustee in 1994. During his tenure, Lahr served as president of the board in 2000-01, 2006-07, 2013-14, and from 2020 until his resignation. He also served as vice president in 1998-99, 2004-05, 2011-12, and 2018-19. He attended Hancock College before earning a bachelor’s degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in agricultural business management.

“Larry Lahr epitomizes what it means to be a public servant,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “He is known for having a sharp eye for finances, but his focus has always been to ensure students come first in every decision we make.” 

Lahr represented Area 3, which includes southwestern Santa Maria and Guadalupe.

The college’s Board of Trustees was to announce a process to fill the vacant seat at their next monthly meeting on May 11.

To learn more about the board, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/board

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Noozhawk North County Editor

During a special meeting on June 15, the Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees agreed to put a $75 million bond measure on the November ballot, asking voters to approve funding for a fine-arts complex and other projects.

The 4-1 vote came three days after the board failed to reach the needed majority for the bond proposal to move forward, with a 3-1 vote on June 12.

The difference was the return of board member Larry Lahr, who had been ill the previous night. Board member Dan Hilker opposed the proposal during both meetings.

“Now the real work begins,” Board President Hilda Zacarias said after the final vote.

Hancock will ask voters to pass a $75 million bond measure, which would need 55-percent approval. Since Hancock will cancel $34 million in unspent funds from Measure I, which was approved in 2006, the 2018 bond would amount to $41 million in new money.

College leaders say the new bond is needed to complete the fine-arts complex and other projects, including those related to athletics and technology programs.

Hilker said his opposition centered on a belief that the bond was about the fine-arts building, adding that no speakers mentioned that project during the second meeting on June 15.

However, several speakers did talk about the fine-arts building during the June 12 meeting.

Hilker also called it “a fairy tale” that Measure I projects were done well, noting problems with the Public Safety Training Center and saying the college was not a good steward.

“The request for the money is for a lump sum to be thrown at all of these other projects that are not specific to getting the fine-arts building,” he said.

“I’d like to do the other things, but this is a bridge too far,” he said. “We need to have oversight on this and we have to have a plan.”

Lahr agreed the fine-arts building is the top priority, calling it a “no-brainer.”

“This will allow us to build the last piece of the puzzle,” he said, adding that any projects using bond funding will go to the board for approval.

Government agencies are required to appoint a citizens oversight committee to monitor bond measure spending, said board member Gregory Pensa, who represents the Santa Ynez Valley.

He also noted that the state has promised $24 million to help Hancock build the fine-arts complex.

“If we don’t pass this bond, we’re not going to be able to build this building and we’re going to kiss off $24 million,” Pensa said.

The school also received a $10 million gift from the estate of Patty Boyd, an arts patron and former faculty member, for a recital hall.

“To me, to not move forward on this would not be serving our constituents,” Pensa added.

Speakers on June 15 described decrepit conditions at the college’s athletic buildings, with one person comparing them to something out of a horror movie, while others talked about cold showers, broken shower heads and lots of rust.

“This is not an issue of us not maintaining the buildings,” Superintendent and President Kevin Walthers said. “This is an issue of buildings that are 55 years old. They’ve lost their useful life.”

Head trainer Cheo Munoz told the board about an incident where an athlete had suffered a serious back injury and the gurney would not fit into the training area where she was.

The gurney had to remain in the hallway, he said.

“This young athlete was made to walk on her own power and sit on her own on this gurney from the training room with a broken back,” Munoz said, adding that fortunately the woman recovered from her injury.

Another speaker, football player Colton Adam, noted that the inadequate facilities make it difficult for the coaching staff to recruit players.

“We might have a good program, but our facilities, they kind of turn athletes away that aren’t from here, and don’t have to come here because it’s close to home,” he said.

“A kid could go to another school down the road at Santa Barbara and go, ‘Wow, this facility is amazing.’ They’ve got a full locker room. All their facilities are beautiful and up to date,” he added.

Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.

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Students, staff and faculty applauded after the Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees approved a resolution to place a bond measure on the November ballot during a special board meeting Friday morning. The bond measure will further help to ensure student success at the college by replacing buildings that are more than 50 years old, modernizing technology and providing additional support to academic programs, such as career technical education, public safety, fine and performing arts, kinesiology and athletics.

“This is not an issue of us not maintaining the buildings. Our facilities crews go above and beyond the call of duty. This is an issue that the buildings are 55 years old. They are passed their useful life,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D.

Based on the college’s Facilities Master Plan, created through the college’s shared governance process, the project list for the $75 million bond includes: the Fine Arts Complex; physical education and athletics facilities; upgrades to the Public Safety Training Complex at the Lompoc Valley Center; support for the technical theater and PCPA program in the Santa Ynez Valley; and the continued investment in campus technology.

Trustees said the measure would continue the college’s momentum and make the much-anticipated fine arts project a reality. The project calls for a 68,000-square foot, two-story building that includes a recital hall and state-of-the-art classrooms and labs for the college’s art, dance, drama, film, graphics, music, photography, multimedia arts and communications programs. Currently, the college’s fine arts department is housed in five buildings, nearly all were built in the 1960s.

“We have $24 million sitting in Sacramento with the state to build our Fine Arts Complex. We need this bond to complete that building, or we will lose $24 million,” said Trustee Greg Pensa, who represents the Santa Ynez Valley. “If we are going to keep our computer systems up to speed and provide students with the technology they deserve, we need this bond. We would not be serving our constituents if we did not move this bond forward to the ballot.”

For 60 years, the community has supported Hancock bond measures. In 1958, voters approved a bond to purchase the land now home to the Santa Maria campus and to finance a building program. The first four buildings, Student Center (bldg. G), Library (bldg. L), Science building (bldg. M) and gymnasium (bldg. N), opened in 1962. Community voters approved Bond Measure I in 2006 to improve technology and facilities. Measure I led to the addition of the state-of-the-art Industrial Technology and Public Safety Training complexes, new technology, and other significant projects like construction of the Student Services and administration buildings.

Board President Hilda Zacarías said the college and the board of trustees have proven themselves as trusted stewards of the community.

“Not only did we save taxpayers $12 million in interest that they don’t have to pay because we are fiscally responsible, we also did not use $34 million of the original bond that they supported in 2006,” said Zacarías. “This new measure cancels out $34 million from Measure I and adds $41 million for a total of $75 million. The new money we are asking for is $41 million. And that’s the difference for future generations.”

Staff estimate the new bond’s impact on taxpayers will be $11 per every $100,000 of assessed valuation. That will be in addition to the property taxes associated with Measure I. The bond includes built-in accountability measures to ensure funds are not taken by the state and not used by the college to pay for administrator salaries. It also requires taxpayer oversight and yearly independent audits to ensure compliance.

Since voters approved the bond in 2006, the Allan Hancock College Measure I Citizens’ Oversight Committee has kept watch to ensure bond revenues are spent only for the purposes authorized by law. The seven- to eight-member committee features citizens who represent a variety of community interests such as taxpayers’ and senior organizations.

“Our Measure I Citizens’ Oversight Committee has done a great job of holding our feet to the fire to ensure all Measure I funds are spent appropriately,” said Walthers. “We have received a clean bill of health from the committee and our independent auditors every year.”

Moments before trustees voted on Friday, several student-athletes urged them to place the bond on the ballot. Building N, home to the college’s kinesiology, recreation and athletics department, opened in 1962. They recounted stories of taking cold showers, sitting on the floor outside of the small athletic training room to wait for medical treatment, and playing home games off-campus because of the college’s inadequate facilities.

“This fall our football team had a very successful season. We were selected to host a bowl game, only we couldn’t play on campus because we didn’t have a stadium, press box or the right facilities,” said Colten Adam, who will transfer in the fall to play football for Trinity University. “Please approve the bond because it will make a big difference for this college.”

“When I showered in the women’s locker room, it was a nightmare. The water wasn’t warm. It wasn’t even slighty warm and most of the shower heads don’t work. The pipes in the building are rusty and old. It definitely needs an upgrade,” said Ambria Eidsen, a women’s water polo player and active member of the United States Navy.

Women’s basketball player Karly Beyers, who earned a basketball scholarship to California Lutheran University, said she always worried something would break while working in or using the women’s locker room.

“Driving up to this campus, you see new buildings and beautiful landscape. But then you walk into building N, and you get a very different perspective,” said the Pioneer Valley High School and Hancock graduate. “This bond will move the college forward and benefit students for generations to come.”

Cheo Muñoz, the college’s head athletic trainer, told trustees the story of a student-athlete who came to the training room with what turned out to be a fractured spine.

“Emergency crews treated this student on the office floor because a gurney or stretcher did not fit in the hallway or doorway to the training room. This is because our building is too old,” said Muñoz. “This measure would address a lot of safety issues, including our overcrowded training room, and allow us to better serve and train our students.”

The measure will appear on the ballot during the November 6 election and requires a 55 percent approval to take effect.

Zacarías hopes the community’s century-long commitment to the college continues.

“Several years of planning have already gone into the fine arts project. I know that once this bond passes, and I know it will because this community believes in Allan Hancock College, we will go through the same process of planning and demonstrating fiscal responsibility,” said Zacarías. “This bond is for future generations – my granddaughters, your younger brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews. That’s what bonds are about, they’re about investing in the future.”

Earlier this week, community leaders spoke in favor of the bond measure and urged the board for approval.

“I’m here because I think the bond measure is important, and I think there is still work to be done. All of the items listed on this bond are all worthy,” said Ann Foxworthy Lewellen, Ph.D., former superintendent/president of Hancock from 1992-2005, who added she would help campaign for the bond in the Santa Ynez Valley. “I think this bond will be easier to sell than Measure I in the Santa Ynez Valley because they can see a direct impact of the new technology at the PCPA Theaterfest.”

Lompoc Valley businessman Steve Pepe, president of the EconAlliance, praised the college for the economic boost provided by Measure I and said the new bond would be money well spent.

“For many first-generation students, Allan Hancock College is the best and most viable option for college,” said Pepe. “With Kevin Walthers, Allan Hancock College has a proven leader and he will be a good steward for the bond 2018 funds.”

Santa Maria businessman Jim Glines, a long-time supporter of the college and its athletic department, urged trustees to support the bond.

“We have some buildings and facilities here that were built in the early 1960s and have had little done to improve them,” said Glines. “No bond is easy to pass, but there is a very strong supporting feeling in this community for the college. I believe a bond can be passed.”

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The desire to make those gains through agricultural education is shared by both CoastHills Credit Union and Presqui’le Winery, which have teamed to present Allan Hancock College with donations totaling $120,000 over the past two years, and representing the two largest gifts in the history of the college’s Viticulture and Enology Foundation.

Garcia, a current Hancock student and Cabrillo High School graduate, is just one of the direct beneficiaries of the partnership. His goal of transferring to a major university to earn a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness received a significant boost last spring when he received $3,500 in scholarships from CoastHills and Presqu’ile Winery last May.

“The scholarships helped literally with my entire life. School is not cheap,” said Garcia, who plans to transfer from Hancock to either Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo or Fresno State University to major in agribusiness. “I cannot thank them enough. It’s not just money that they gave, they provided me a chance to succeed.”

Last week, representatives from CoastHills and Presqu’ile presented a check for $65,000 to the Allan Hancock College Board of Trustees. The gift, the single-largest in the history of the college’s Viticulture and Enology Foundation, will directly support the college’s agribusiness program. Last year, CoastHills and Presqu’ile donated $55,000 to the college.

“Community support from businesses like Presqu’ile and CoastHills helps the dedicated faculty and staff at Allan Hancock College change the odds for students and our community,” said Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “Thanks to the $120,000 they donated over the last two years, the college will continue to expand the agribusiness curriculum and resources available to students.”

The gifts are the result of Rancho Vino, the signature fundraiser of the CoastHills Community Foundation, the charitable fundraising arm of the credit union. Held at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria back in September, the 10^th annual Rancho Vino featured an evening of enchanting music, delicious food and the sale of two specially labeled Presqu’ile wines, aptly titled Generous Harvest.

CoastHills Community Foundation Director Rebecca Alarcio said the donations were tangible ways to help students continue their passions both for education and agriculture.

“The ag industry truly is the backbone of our economy here on the Central Coast, and supporting its future through this continued partnership between Allan Hancock College, Presqu’ile and CoastHills turned out to be the perfect pairing for Rancho Vino,” said CoastHills President/CEO Jeff York. “To see first-hand how CoastHills is making a difference for students and future leaders in the ag industry is a special feeling.”

With last year’s gift of $55,000, Hancock’s agribusiness program purchased a premium filter for its on-campus winery, made needed repairs to its tractor and forklift, hired new student workers for its community garden and vineyard, and funded a pair of scholarships, one of which went to Garcia. Hancock Academic Dean Richard Mahon says this year’s donation will have a similar significant impact.

“Hundreds of students have already benefited directly from CoastHills,” said Mahon. “It’s encouraging to know hundreds more will.”

Garcia commended CoastHills and Presqu’ile for providing a leg up in the world of crop science and agriculture to more students like himself.

“It’s great to see local companies give back and personally give their vote of confidence to deserving students,” said Garcia.

The agribusiness program and its popularity with students at Hancock continue to grow. The college has seen a 24 percent increase in students registered for agribusiness classes in the last two years. Hancock is also one of three community colleges in the state to operate a bonded winery. Earlier this year, three student-produced wines won bronze medals at the 40^th annual Orange County Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition.

Over the 10 years of Rancho Vino, CoastHills has raised nearly $700,000 through its Rancho Vino events.

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