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Show DAVC Teachers Happy About Leg. Action By TOM BUSSELBERG KAYSVILLE--The Legislature Legisl-ature smiled on at least one group during its last session. HARD TO believe, maybe, but vocational educators, especially those at the Davis Area Vocational Center in Kaysville, are happy for the break in the somber session. Nearly $2.8 million was appropriated for expansion of the campus while another half-million half-million dollars was awarded for equipment and, by far the biggest share, to pay off the Davis School District for purchase pur-chase of the two present buildings. build-ings. ALTHOUGH the building funding was only half the original ori-ginal request, it was a lot more than had been feared, Director Jack Shell said, recalling that last day of the session when it looked like nothing would be funded as of 8 a.m. "One day we would have it, the next day we wouldn't." But Vocational Board Pres. Dee Forbes noted how common com-mon such occurrences are, calling the activities at the legislature leg-islature "always frustrating, and trying because of the process pro-cess we have to go through each year." THE BUILDING funding will allow for construction of an area that will include welding, weld-ing, student services, administration adminis-tration and a mezzanine that would house office occupations. occupa-tions. In addition, $145,000 of the overall funding will facilitate remodeling of the present administration building for classroom use. The automotive automo-tive diesel shop and business occupations area are already under construction although the mezzanine housing the business classes was just for mally approved by the legislature. legisla-ture. HE SAID it's hoped bids can be let for the new construction in July and said the current construction is moving ahead although bad weather has hampered ham-pered some efforts. Layton Construction Co. of Salt Lake City is the general contractor while Glen R. Swenson, also of Salt Lake, is the architect. The final action approving the building proposal must come with the governor's signature. sign-ature. LOOKING back on the legislative session, Mr. Shell expressed appreciation for support from several key legislators, legis-lators, including Sen. Haven Barlow, R-Layton and Repr. Ute Knowlton, R-Kaysville. "This is going to make a real difference for us," he said of the funding. "We will get buildings on campus. It's hard to get students to come here for basic education classes and then have to go to Clearfield or Layton high schools (for example)," ex-ample)," to complete other vocational classes due to lack of space on the Kaysville campus. HE ADDED that all classes have waiting lists except in the business courses. "I think we will have a fairly good year," Mr. Shell continued, con-tinued, although funding will be tight, especially when it comes to the general operating budget putting the DAVC in a similar dilemma to other state-funded state-funded agencies. SPEAKING of overall legislative legis-lative support for the DAVC, he said for the first time, talk didn't turn to cutting off funding fund-ing or abolishing the center by legislators from other areas. "We made a lot of converts-vocational converts-vocational education has made some good (progress) on the hill." |
