A Conversation with President Hamann

One of the best things about campaigning is the darn good excuse it provides to get out and meet people and go places you've been meaning to go for years. The Olney General Store on a Friday after work. Godfather's on a Sunday afternoon. The Clatsop Community College president's office any day of the week.

Greg Hamann has some very clear ideas about what the college should be and how it should get there. He believes strongly in building on the indigenous resources offered right here in and around Clatsop County, and that the College should serve Clatsop County first. He'll be a terrific partner in the new rural economic development strategy (see The Clallam Story), in which the college must be a centerpiece.

Hamann has set the college on a course which first rebuilds the core curriculum. For a number of years there's been no logical way of progressing from one class to another so that a student can successfully build a usable system of knowledge. This will take some time to complete but is essential.

A phrase used in higher education is "spires of excellence," which might otherwise be thought of as areas of concentration that are somewhat unique to the institution. Hamann prefers a more modest term which escapes me now, and the three programs that would be whatever that term is are: maritime sciences, to which environmental studies will be added; allied nursing; and arts -- particularly those arts which, again, are indigenous, like Richard Rowland's ceramics.

Of interest to me is the state of the college library. There's some interest in the college partnering with the Astor Library and combining resources. It's a good start toward building interest in a county-wide library system, which I know some cities aren't interested in but I don't know why. (Thus proving that you can in fact use the word "interest" four times in three sentences comprising one paragraph. Just in case you were wondering.)

Now the big issue: siting of a new facility. Hamann has no vested interest in where the college is sited, but strongly believes: "If the college stays on the hill it will not survive." His review of previous siting studies and options have led him to the John Warren Field site as the best option, providing the needed space and infrastructure and offering many nearby partnership opportunities -- with the Aquatic Center, the hospital and medical centers, etc.

Hamann is surely correct that there would be disagreement about any site chosen. He's well aware of the potential problems and issues associated with Warren Field, and is correct that there's only one way to know for sure: to go forward with the feasibility studies that will reveal what actually can be done at that site. In many ways, President Hamann has to wait and see like the rest of us.

The college sent out 165 Requests for Proposals to architectural firms; seven firms responded, with one later deemed non-responsive, and the winner was SRG Partnership Inc., Portland and Seattle. Their impressive resume of projects includes the Lillis Business Complex at the UofO and the Science & Technology Building at PSU.

As for the bond: Well, there is no bond, yet. The State has promised $7.5 million, available in 2007; the College will be seeking to borrow a matching amount. A bond, if there were one, might be in the range of $18-$20 million, which would equal about 30 cents per $1,000 -- so, a house valued at $150,000 would be taxed $45 per year. Could be the best bargain ever.

A rumor dispelled: Several people have told me that they've heard that the College has stopped its partnership with MERTS (Marine and Environmental Research and Training Station, at South Tongue Point). Not true. I'm told (by Board Member Frank Satterwhite) that there was a corporation, MERTS, Inc., formed many years ago in order to accept certain government funding, and that the corporation has been disbanded because it's been years since it was needed and is simply costing paperwork and money in corporation filing fees. This in no way affects the MERTS program.

I hope we'll all be supportive of the College's process and see what comes of it. Everything isn't built in Astoria, but it is the county seat. I live in Astoria and enjoy all of our cities and their unique offerings, and don't mind a pleasant and generally beautiful 15, 30 or 45-minute drive to them. If we were in Portland or even Longview, the commutes required just to stock the refrigerator would be much longer and much less interesting. Let's help Clatsop Community College become not simply a college of convenience within a 15- or 20-minute drive, but a college of choice as worthy of traveling to as any other institution.

Your comments always appreciated.