Bond Question #6 Media Endorsements

Bustling community colleges deserve help

Question 6 will provide money for the most important public investment opportunity in Maine today.

My morning routine--which often includes hauling my son and his car-pool mate to school--takes me through treacherous territory.

What was once a simple South Portland intersection has, at 7:45 a.m., become the site of a high-stakes game of chicken with teenage pedestrians.

What is it about being 19 that makes a person oblivious to hazards, including oncoming cars?

As I make my way through what is now the Southern Maine Community College campus, I must be ever-aware of jaywalking college students--hair wet, heads down, hell-bent on getting to an 8 a.m. class.

It was not always so. Indeed, just a few years ago the South Portland campus was dominated by the more alert breed of student. Older and studying a specific technical skill, the old tech college campus had more respectful pedestrians.

Now, though, the youngsters dominate the hustle and bustle of a campus that is bursting. James Ortiz, president of the school, says there are as many older students as ever, but that since it became a real community college, enrollments have swelled with young people.

That may be bad news for the bumper of my Saab if I'm not careful, but it's very good news for Maine. Amid all the doom and gloom prognostications for a state that has lagged the region in terms of personal income, there is this glaring bright spot.

The success of the state's relatively new community college system is dramatic, and the energy one feels when on Ortiz's campus will in short order become fuel for a brighter future for Maine.

It has been more than a decade since the push by proponents of a Maine community college system began in earnest. (And I'm more than proud to say that I was among the more rabid supporters, writing many columns and editorials endorsing the idea.) It has been just three years, however, since that dream was made into a reality.

What's happened since is jaw dropping.

Enrollment in the community college network is up 44 percent over the old tech college system. At SMCC, the growth has been more dramatic. The school had 1,099 students in 2000. Now it has 4,465. Amazingly, this is being done with only modest increases in state funding and tuition.

Most of the new students at SMCC are kids straight out of high school. That's promising because Maine lags the country in the number of people with four-year college degrees. A big factor is that the state does a great job of getting a large proportion of its kids to finish high school, but it does a lousy job of getting them to go on to college.

The growth of the community college system is critical to reversing that trend. That's because college aspirations are not a problem among the high school students scoring As and Bs. Maine lags the rest of the country in sending kids to college because not enough of the kids who get Bs and Cs in high school are looking to continue their educations.

Community colleges are meant to serve these kids, and they can be gateways to four-year degrees.

Want proof of that? Well, consider that at the University of Southern Maine right now there are 500 juniors and seniors who got their start at SMCC. That's 500 kids who didn't think they could go to a four year college when they got out of high school, but now are headed toward a bachelor's degree.

John Fitzsimmons, president of the community college system, deserves a lot of credit for guiding the growth of the system in tight economic times. But he and his staff are running out of rabbits to pull from their hats, and the harsh realities of running a bigger, more successful community college system are starting to come home.

The system has been creative about finding space for classes. It has used more part-time teachers to provide more instruction with the same administrative platform.

But there is an ongoing need for more guidance services. That's because younger, two-year liberal arts majors need help in finding their way, unlike older students focused on learning a technical skill.

Also, for all the creative use of physical space, the realities are closing in on the system. To help with that, the Legislature sent to the voters a bond question that authorizes borrowing $5 million for the system. Question 6 also would authorize borrowing $2 million for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USM and another $2 million for various projects within the state's university system.

Ortiz had hoped to use his campus' $1.3 million share of the bond to build a new cafeteria and make other needed improvements. That was before he found out that SMCC's Health Sciences Building had hidden structural damage that has to be repaired immediately.

Elsewhere in the community college system, the bond money will be used for renovations to deteriorating buildings that can expect to see a lot of use in the coming years.

The bond is a down payment on what is arguably the most important public investment opportunity in the state. It is our chance as citizens to reward success and to promote post-secondary education for those who otherwise wouldn't get it.

Remember, those wet-headed kids scurrying to class are our future. We'd we be wise to invest in them.

Journal Tribune, 10/25/05

Vote "Yes" on Question 6 to support higher education

In an effort to inform voters in preparation for the upcoming general election on Nov. 8, the members of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board have chosen to support some of the seven referendum questions which will appear on the ballot. Today, we are casting our support and encouraging a "Yes" vote for Question 6.

The question asks voters to approve a $9 million bond for renovation and construction projects at higher education facilities, specifically those in those in the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System. Knowing that educating our youth and adults in need of advanced training to keep Maine economically viable is becoming more an necessity than a privilege, we feel a "yeas" vote is necessary.

In the past three years since the Maine Community College System changed from the former technical college program, enrollment has jumped by 44 percent, meaning 3,300 [more] students are pursuing an education at local community colleges, including the York County Community College in Wells. While enrollment has increased, the average age of students has been decreasing as more students, fresh from high school, are choosing to utilize the community college system as an alternative to an four-year degree.

Even though the community colleges have been successful in drawing increased numbers of students while attracting younger attendees, funding for such schools has suffered. Using York County Community Colleges as an example, 80 percent of students attending are below the poverty level, necessitating lower tuition rates. Since public schools are dependent on tuition and state government reimbursement, declining budgets emanating from Augusta have caused the overall infrastructure of the colleges to suffer.

Estimates on simple repairs to heating and air-conditioning systems, buildings and other infrastructure at the various community colleges range as high as $300 million, so the $5 million portion on the bond will only scratch the surface of what's necessary to keep the schools open. At YCCC, even though the buildings are less than a decade old, serious infrastructure improvements to the HVAC system are necessary to keep up with the increasing number of students pacing the hallways. As Patricia Ryan, president of YCCC noted, years of little repair and numerous students "beats up a building."

Another portion of the bond, $2 million, is to construct a center at the University of Southern Maine campus for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The program offers educational courses for seniors in Maine, and the benefits of the program have been obvious. This year, members of the Senior College in Sanford took home honors at the Odyssey of the Mind World competition, and accomplishment that many schools have battled for years to obtain, in their first try.

The bond will help attract $4 million in matching funds to give the leadership of the Institute a permanent home, which can be used by all Mainers seeking higher education in their later years.

The other $2 million would provide "bricks and mortar" work for the other facilities in the University of Maine system.

Seeking the pains the state suffered this summer during the Base Realignment and Closing Commission deliberations regarding the Portsmouth Navel Shipyard, we see the necessity of branching out and seeking alternatives in our economy. Being dependent on one employer leaves the state open for economic collapse.

In order to attract new industries and business to Maine, therefore, we must provide a viable and educated workforce to fill positions, and the Community College System provides such as basis. Technical and business skills go a long way in today's economy, and the increase in enrollment is symbolic of that shift.

So when we go to the polls in less than three weeks, we encourage our readers, their friends, family and neighbors to vote "Yes" on Question 6.

Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel, 10/29/05

Editorial: Support bond issues for land conservation, higher education

We hope Maine voters will not lose their steam or their willingness to borrow by the time they reach questions 5 and 6 on the Nov. 8 ballot.

All five bond proposals, which appear as questions 2 through 6 on the ballot, deserve voters' support.

They call for borrowing a reasonable $83 million to fund needed investments. If voters back the borrowing, Maine would qualify for more than $240 million in additional or matching funds, mostly from the federal government.

Yesterday, we wrote in favor of the first three bond issues, which call for borrowing $62 million for transportation; water, sewer and irrigation improvements; and jobs and economic growth.

Today, we focus on the remaining bond issues:

QUESTION 5: LAND CONSERVATION

"Do you favor a $12,000,000 bond issue to purchase land and conservation easements statewide from willing sellers for conservation, water access, wildlife and fish habitat, outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing, farmland preservation and working waterfront preservation to be matched by at least $7,000,000 in private and public contributions?"

The $12 million, plus $7 million from other sources, would extend the life of the Land for Maine's Future program, which supporters say has preserved more than 192,000 acres of open space since the program was created in 1987. It would also help protect working waterfronts.

Eighteen years ago, voters approved $35 million in borrowing, which the Land for Maine's Future program has used to help fund some 120 land-conservation projects in all 16 counties in the state.

The program is now out of money at a time when development pressure from buyers and developers, especially those from other states, puts land access in jeopardy.

The $12 million in the bond proposal is far less than the $100 million or more that Gov. John E. Baldacci had once discussed for land conservation and than the $50 million he included in his original, $197 million bond package proposal in February.

Over the summer, lawmakers held intense, often heated negotiations to determine the size of the borrowing package. In the end, they slashed Baldacci's original proposal by almost 58 percent.

The borrowing plan would not provide nearly enough money for the Land for Maine's Future program to do everything it would like to keep land open and available for outdoor recreation, including hiking, hunting, fishing and certain types of farming.

But given the state's current financial situation, the compromise amount is about the best anyone should have expected.

Question 5 provides voters the opportunity to preserve more of Maine's unspoiled lands and working waterfronts -- treasured resources that make the state so appealing to residents, tourists and, yes, employers.

We hope voters see the value in protecting what makes Maine Maine.

QUESTION 6: EDUCATION

Mainers never have turned down a bond issue for higher education. They should continue that tradition Nov. 8.

Question 6 provides $9 million for improvements to the University of Maine System and mostly the Maine Community College System.

The borrowed money would be used for building and equipment improvements at six of the seven university campuses and all seven community colleges, including Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield.

The community colleges would benefit to the tune of $5 million.

Enrollment at the seven colleges has increased to about 12,500. That is up 3,300 students -- about 44 percent -- since 2002, when the state's technical schools were converted to community colleges.

The bond money is needed to help ease the growing pressure on classrooms, parking lots and technology.

KVCC, for example, would receive $935,000 for needed expansion and renovations.

The borrowing plan would also provide $1.3 million for Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, $1.1 million for Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor, $715,000 for Central Maine Community College in Auburn, $427,000 for Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, $299,000 for Washington County Community College in Calais and $178,000 for York County Community College in Wells.

About $4 million of the bond would pay for construction projects at University of Maine System campuses, including $850,000 for the University of Maine at Farmington and $295,000 for the University of Maine at Augusta.

The largest single expenditure in Question 6 would provide $2 million to build a new Osher Lifelong Learning Institute building at the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus. The institute provides courses for about 950 students who are at least 55 years old.

If the bond issue passes, USM would receive another $4 million for the project from a San Francisco-based foundation. The rest of the bond money would go to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, $300,000; the University of Maine at Fort Kent, $290,000; and the University of Maine at Machias, $250,000.

It is important that voters invest in Maine's public postsecondary schools.

Maine must deliver high-quality, affordable higher education on well-maintained campuses.

This not only benefits those seeking to improve themselves and build careers, but it sends an important message to employers who might be thinking about expanding or opening operations in Maine.

The state's voters have a history of approving bond issues to support higher education.

Nothing about that should change this year.

Mainers should vote "yes" on Question 6 and on the state's other four borrowing proposals.

Lewiston Sun Journal, 10/30/05

A chance to invest in Maine

While Question 1 on Nov. 8's ballot has received the lion's share of attention during the campaign season, voters will also be asked to judge an $83 million bond package, broken into five questions.

Questions 2 through 6 ask voters to approve new state borrowing. All five deserve a "yes" vote.

The measures are not particularly controversial. They passed through the state Legislature with bipartisan support. Opposition, instead has focused on the more general idea of whether it's appropriate for the state to borrow money during a time of economic uncertainty.

Much of the argument against the bonds in the Legislature and among voters is built upon a simple idea. The state can't afford to take on more debt.

Unfortunately, the idea plays to many of the misconceptions about the state's economy and economic health. Maine ranks below the national average in its tax-supported debt and maintains a strong bond rating, and utilizes a 10-year repayment schedule on debt that reduces its overall cost. In other words, the state can afford to issue a new round of bonds.

Partisan divisions last year kept a bond package off the ballot, and the state missed valuable opportunities to invest in its infrastructure. Initially, Gov. Baldacci proposed a bond package of almost $200 million for this year. Bowing to the necessity to win support of two-thirds of state legislators, the package's value was reduced by more than half, to a modest $83 million.

The bonds represent sound fiscal policy and an investment in the state's infrastructure.

Question 2 would allow $33.1 million in borrowing to improve the state's transportation system, including highways, bridges, airports and harbors. The bond will capture an additional $158 million in matching funds. Maine's network of roads and bridges need substantial reinvestment. A "yes" vote represents an important down payment.

Question 3 would authorize $8.9 million for sustainable water sources and irrigation systems, and would provide loads and grants for wastewater and public water system improvements. The money would attract $31 million in federal funds. A "yes" vote will help improve the state's water quality, protect the environment and protect public health.

Question 4 is a $20 million economic development bond. But that description doesn't do it justice. The bond would attract about $44 million in federal and private funding for research and development, new business investment and worker training. Lewiston-Auburn College stands to receive $2 million from the bond for a new Educational Change Center. As it stands, now, only about 15 percent of the residents of Androscoggin County have a bachelor's degree. To attract and develop new industries, that has to improve. Working with Central Maine Community College, Andover and Bates, the LA College center would be a clearinghouse for people who want or need to advance their education. And educated and adaptable workforce is the foundation for a strong economy. Question 4 is an investment in workers and in jobs.

Question 5 would provide $12 million in funding for the Land for Maine's Future program. This program is almost universally applauded, but without the bond it would be essentially broke. LMF started in 1987 with a $35 million bond and was refunded in 1999 with a $50 million bond. The money has been put to good use. More than 139,000 acres have been acquired from willing sellers and another 53,500 acres have been protected with conservation easements. About 2,700 acres have been protected in Androscoggin County alone, with more in the works. The program protects animal habitat and guarantees access to land and water for Maine hunters, fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts. The bond is a cost-effective investment in Maine's outdoor heritage and confirms the state's commitment to preserving open spaces.

Question 6 faces two significant hurdles, both of which voters must overcome. The $9 million bond would fund investment in Maine's higher education system. Because it comes last on the list of questions, it might present a tempting target for voters looking to vote against something. That would be a mistake. Second, it must overcome lingering attitudes about a college education. Unfortunately, some Mainers don't recognize the value of a college degree and don't understand the importance of a top-flight system to the state's economic future. College and universities help build the educated workforce employers need. Specifically, the bond would renovate facilities at CMCC to accommodate a fast-growing student population and upgrade its technology. It would direct $2 million for a new Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine and provide $850,000 for the University of Maine at Farmington to renovate Preble and Ricker halls. Further, the bond is essential in attracting $4 million from private foundations.

The five bond questions represent a conservative approach to debt and vital investment in the state's economic health. Citizens should vote yes on all five.

Maine Sunday Telegram, 10/30/05

All five bond issues deserve a "yes" on Nov. 8

On Nov. 8, Maine's voters will decide on five bond issues - ballot questions that seek to borrow a total of $83 million. There is understandable concern about borrowing money in tight fiscal times. The $83 million, however, is a relatively modest package and this newspaper supports approval of all five bond questions.

We also support Question 7, related to preservation of Maine's working waterfronts.

QUESTION 2: At $33.1 million, this transportation bond is the largest of the proposed issues. Investment in infrastructure should be an ongoing commitment, and this question offers a number of worthwhile investments.

Chief among them is $27 million for highway and bridge improvements. It is important to note this will be combined with more than $150 million in matching federal funds, and may generate an estimated 5,000 construction-related jobs. Some of the money will be used to further the replacement of the Waldo-Hancock Bridge - a project critical to the midcoast and Down East regions.

QUESTION 3: This environmental and agricultural bond seeks $8.9 million in borrowing, and would be matched by about $31 million in federal funds. The largest piece of the clean-water funding, $3.6 million, would be used for construction of wastewater facilities.

Aging stormwater and sewage facilities in a number of towns are in need of upgrades or replacement. Improvements are needed for overflow problems in Augusta and Auburn; in Falmouth, funding would upgrade a wastewater treatment plant to improve the effluent discharging to the Presumpscot River.

Another $3.5 million of the funding is earmarked for improvements to drinking water systems. Some of the state's systems are more than 100 years old; eight of the 17 water systems targeted by the bond money can't meet community demand for water.

Money from this bond would also go to help farmers plan and build new water sources, particularly to address drought problems, which can cause millions of dollars in losses.

QUESTION 4: This is the second-largest of the bond questions, a jobs initiative that proposes $20 million for research and development projects at sites around the state. About $44 million is expected in matching federal and private funds.

Question 4 poses real benefit to Maine because it targets and advances the fast-growing field of biomedical research, earmarking $8 million for the Maine Biomedical Research Fund. In five years, this effort has demonstrated a clear return on investment for Maine. Several key biomedical facilities are expected to apply for this funding, including the Foundation for Blood Research in Scarborough and Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor.

Other beneficiaries of funding, about $4 million, would be nonprofit marine research laboratories and agencies. Given the importance of coastal issues for Maine, it makes good sense to promote such research.

QUESTION 5: This issue seeks $12 million to buy land and easements to promote conservation, and also to protect public access to coastal and inland waters, wildlife and fish habitats, outdoor recreation and working waterfronts. Public access to the water is tied to Maine's commercial fishing and aquaculture interests, and is well worth supporting.

This bond would also extend the land for Maine's Future program, which was created in 1987 and has since preserved more than 192,000 acres of open space. That land is used by a variety of outdoor enthusiasts, and is a benefit to both Maine citizens and the state's tourism interests.

QUESTION 6: This issue asks voters to approve $9 million for renovations at six campuses in the University of Maine System, and at all seven campuses of the Maine Community College System.

The biggest part of the bond provides $5 million for Maine's community colleges, and the state could hardly find a more worthwhile endeavor to support. Overall, the new community college system, which replaces the former technical school approach, has enjoyed dramatic growth.

A large part of this bond, about $1.3 million, is aimed at a major renovation of the Health Science Building on the South Portland campus of Southern Maine Community College. In Bangor, Eastern Maine Community College would get nearly $1.2 million to update classrooms and improve energy efficiency.

Also the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine stands to get a $2 million appropriation, advancing educational opportunities for those who are 55 and older.

A CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

This newspaper also endorses a "yes" vote on Question 7, which seeks support for a state constitutional amendment that would authorize waterfront land used for commercial fishing activities to be assessed on current use, rather than market value. We support this approach because it encourages preservation of working waterfronts by allowing for a reduced property tax burden.

The approach is fair overall, because it would require waterfront owners to pay a substantial penalty whenever they elect to convert their property to a non-fishing use and perhaps sell that desirable real estate for significant profit.

Question 7 represents sound policy, as similar tax breaks are now in place for farms, open space and forestland.

Bangor Daily News, 11/04/05

Yes on Question 6

"Do you favor a $9,000,000 bond issue to make building renovations at campuses of the University of Maine System, improve and expand the facilities of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine and make building renovations at campuses of the Maine Community College System?"

This is much-needed money. It is the kind of nuts-and-bolts funding that keeps labs open, classrooms operating and more students going to college. The bond covers the state - from the Southern Maine Community College to the University of Maine at Fort Kent - with funds for projects important to keep these institutions running.

For instance, the University of Maine at Machias would use part of its share of the funding to replace a boiler and update a fire-alarm system. Eastern Maine Community College, like several other schools in both systems, would use a portion of its funding to improve energy efficiency; another portion would go to roof repair. Northern Maine Community College would spend its portion on adding insulation and new windows as well as upgrading safety and security systems. The University of Maine at Farmington would renovate labs and a lecture hall in addition to its own energy-efficiency improvements.

It would have been better if the Legislature had invested in these schools over the years so they aren't scrambling when an energy crisis arrives. It would have been better when lawmakers worked on helping more students attend these schools that they also recognized that meant more wear and tear, more demands on equipment, and, therefore, bigger maintenance budgets. They didn't, and they are unlikely to in the near future because tight budgets often lead legislators to leave decisions - plus interest - up to voters.

By almost any measure Maine's community college system performs remarkably well. It has transformed itself as the workplace has transformed, more often aligning its coursework with the university system to prepare students for four-year degrees. In just the last three years, enrollment is up more than 40 percent, with 3,000 additional students now attending classes.

Within the university system, Southern Maine's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute would receive $2 million - to be matched by $4 million in private funding - to expand this valuable opportunity for residents 55 and older. The institute is the resource center for more than 70 of these programs nationwide, an appropriate designation for a state with a rapidly increasing number of older residents and for a state that would like to attract more retirees.

As much as it would be preferable to fund upgrades through regular budgeting processes, the bond should be strongly supported because the institutions it supports are too valuable to lose.

Times Record,11/04/05

Education is key

Whereas Question 4 creates jobs that pay well, Question 6 supports the education that qualifies people for lucrative employment.

One of the most successful initiatives to build a stronger Maine economy began when the technical college system became Maine Community College System. In three years the degree enrollment at the community colleges has jumped 44 percent to 10,829 students. The number of students entering directly from high school has jumped 50 percent! This fall, more than 12,500 students are enrolled.

This endeavor could have an even greater impact, but the community college system needs the infrastructure and accessibility to do it. Question 6 asks for $5 million to upgrade and renovate a number of its facilities.

Another $2 million for USM's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute will draw down $4 million in private foundation funding. Not only does the center serve 4,000 people age 50 and older statewide through the Maine Senior College Network, but it is the resource center for a nationwide network of more than 70 such programs.

Finally, five University of Maine campuses are in need of repair, and $2 million will go to that end.

Let's keep a good thing growing. Vote "Yes" on Question 6.

WCSH Ch. 6 Fred Nutter Editorial, 10/14/05

Editorial: Bond Issues

November 8, Maine voters will be asked to approve 5 bond issues totaling $83 million. If approved the projects will generate an additional $240 million in matching federal and private funds.

The real question is should Maine voters add to the public debt by approving the bonds. We think the answer is yes. It is less money than we will pay off this year. This year Maine will pay off $197 million in bonds. Our per capita debt has been reduced to $487 per person. The projects on the ballot are long term capital improvements which will benefit us long into the future. Projects include money for highways and bridges and other transportation needs; Environmental and Agricultural and clean water; Land for Maine’s Future; and needed investments at University of Maine and Community College System Campuses.

The final question to be decided November 8 is a proposed change to the Maine Constitution. It would allow the legislature to access waterfront land based on the current use which is allowed for farms, open space and forestland. Its means a fishing shack would be taxed as a fishing shack, not some imagined condo or waterfront hotel.

We think it is in Maine’s interest to support the bond issues and the Constitutional question on November 8 by voting yes.

“That’s our opinion, we welcome yours!”