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College Weighs a Galt Campus: Stockton-Based District Also Ponders Satellite Near Lodi.

Posted on: Thursday, 15 June 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Sandy Louey, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Jun. 15--A community college campus may be only a short drive away for Galt residents some day.

The San Joaquin Delta Community College District last week approved an option to buy 140 acres for a future satellite campus to serve the Galt area.

Delta College officials plan to spend $2 million for the proposed site, located on Liberty Road west of Highway 99 in unincorporated San Joaquin County.

The property sits just outside the Galt city limits and would be easily accessible, since there is freeway access off the Liberty Road exit, said Galt Mayor Darryl Clare.

"They realized the uniqueness of the site," Clare said.

Delta College spokesman B.R. Brown said the district has until December to determine if the land is suitable for a campus. The land purchase is being funded by a $250 million bond that voters approved in 2004.

Brown said the proposed campus is part of a plan to better serve the growing population in Galt and Lodi.

The college also is working on plans for a satellite campus to serve the Lodi area.

"The bottom line is the needs of the community," Brown said.

Of the 18,500 students who attend Delta College in Stockton, about 3,800 are from Lodi and Galt. The college also offers some classes at high schools in Lodi and Galt.

In March, Delta College trustees approved an option to buy 168 acres of land between East Highway 12 and the Mokelumne River, just east of Highway 99 and just outside the Lodi city limits.

The $18 million price tag for that site also is coming from the 2004 bond. The college has until September to determine if that property is feasible for a college campus.

Clare said he was pleased about the proposed campus on Liberty Road.

"It becomes an asset," he said.

Delta College will bring jobs, offer performing arts events and expand educational opportunities for students and adults, Clare said.

High school students in Galt will be able to easily take classes at the college, as Galt High School is about a mile away, while Liberty Ranch High School will be located about 3 miles away, he said.

"It's right there," Clare said.

Brown said the college plans to develop the Lodi-area campus first, with a projected opening date of 2009.

No time frame has been determined for the Galt-area campus yet, he said.

Planning for the Galt and Lodi campuses are still at the early stages, so details such as construction costs and program offerings haven't been determined yet, Brown said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Sacramento Bee

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