3 proposals in running for campus

Three proposals presented to CSUB as part of the university's public-private partnership initiative in the campus' revised master plan remain under consideration.

The proposals would provide an array of amenities for the university as it moves deeper into the 21st century. They would also have a major economic impact on Bakersfield and Kern County, not only in terms of the construction but also in job creation.

The CSU Board of Trustees has mandated that each CSU campus provide more of its annual funding from private resources. For CSUB, the trustees expect that 10 percent of its funding will be generated from private sources.

With an abundance of land - 376 acres donated to the state in 1962 by Kern County Land Co. expressly for use as a state university campus - the university is seeking to utilize a portion of it to generate revenue for annual operations by inviting private companies to build projects on leased university property.

Originally six proposals were presented to the university, ranging from a $2 million physical therapy and training center to a massive near-half-billion-dollar plan for hotel, condos and conference center.

Two of the proposals were rejected for not being the magnitude the university required: an 8,000-square-foot Farmworker Institute for Education and Leadership Development; and a 17,000-square-foot physical therapy and fitness center. A third proposal for a $20 million four-story Embassy Suites or Marriott Courtyard hotel, with food-service and meeting-conference space was withdrawn by the developers.

CSUB President Horace Mitchell said he's pleased with the remaining proposals and impressed by their thoroughness and thoughtfulness in regards to improving both the university and the community.

"These proposals show the real spirit of public-private partnership and a commitment to excellence," Mitchell said. "The firms making the proposals have thought not just about themselves but also about the impact these proposals will have on the university and the surrounding community."

Here is a short description of the three remaining proposals:

• Bakersfield Adventures for the Mind, or BAM, a children's learning center for ages 4-12, proposed by Kern Community Foundation and Partners. A 35,000 square foot facility would feature hands-on permanent and rotating exhibits, interactive education and recreational activities in a state-of-the-art center. It would also provide a teacher-training institute that would provide opportunities for CSUB in teacher training and education. Projected cost is $14.5 million. The proposed site is adjacent to FACT, fronting Camino Media.

• Crisp & Cole Towers and Center of Excellence. Twin 31-story towers linked by a "Sky Club," parking facilities, "Emergency Management Center of Excellence," and a child-care facility. The project would include a hotel, condominiums, and restaurants, parking for the proposed campus baseball stadium, and classroom and office space for CSUB. Originally the cost projected to develop the project was $470.7 million, but the project has been scaled back somewhat to $330 million. Proposed location is on the southwest quadrant of the campus.

• Gregory D. Bynum & Associates, a four-story, 100,000 square-foot office building, proposed for a site adjacent to Roadrunner Way. The building would be leased to office-space tenants with the potential for collaborations with the CSUB School of Business and Public Administration. Cost estimate not included.

The university is evaluating the proposals on campus and in discussions with the developers and the CSU Chancellor's Office to determine which plans to pursue further.