After several months of a steady drumbeat campaign to everyone who would listen and several hours of nail-biting poll watching that lasted well into the morning hours, Lake Michigan College Board Members, administrators, students and staff were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when their multi-million dollar millage proposal passed muster with the voters of Berrien and Van Buren Counties in Tuesday’s election, setting the stage for much needed infrastructure improvements and beyond.
The final tally of 35,610 for the millage and 34,935 against, left only a 684 vote cushion of victory…but all the needed to win by was one vote to set the college on the path to some major upgrades, increased energy efficiencies and 21st century planning opportunities.
LMC Board Chair Mary Jo Tomasini voiced gratitude to the voters of Southwest Michigan who helped pass the 10-year, 0.48 mill measure which marks the first millage increase in 20 years for the institution. She says, “It will allow us to continue our great work at Lake Michigan College,” adding, “The voter’s support will allow us to continue delivering an educated, well-trained workforce for local employers and will help support more jobs in a stronger local economy.” Tomasini says it will also help the school to deliver an increasingly outstanding educational experience for students “at a price that families can afford.”
Up next, the Board will establish a citizen oversight committee that will help guide the college through the planning and construction stages, “to ensure accountability and transparency throughout the process.”
In closing, the Board Chair said, “We want to thank the community for believing in LMC and thank all of the students, employees, and volunteers who helped us with the campaign over the last few months.”
Interim LMC President, Dr. Bob Harrison says, “We are really excited about the results and appreciative of the support we received from voters in our district. The outcome has created a lot of energy among our students, Board and staff as they see the results of their efforts to pass the millage and improve the College.”
Dr. Harrison says they have been in the midst of planning for the Napier Campus renovations as a result of the Capital Outlay Grant they are receiving from the State of Michigan, and also for the Wine & Culinary Education Center for which they received support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and private donors. “Those processes will continue,” according to Harrison, who adds, “We will ramp up the planning and visioning process with our stakeholders in the South Haven and Niles areas to look at existing facility needs, future programs and ways to maximize the value we offer these areas.”
The highest priorities for LMC going forward will be exactly what the millage campaign promoted — Safety and security… modernization of classrooms…student support areas…and critical facility improvements and energy efficiency.
Harrison says the millage approval is a game-changer in that “It will help us continue to create the best possible experience for our students, including a better learning environment, updated facilities and equipment, and support areas to help them plan and achieve their educational goals.”
The results see-sawed back and forth through the night, with most of the numbers reflecting a 200 to 500 vote lead within two hours of the close of the polls, making for some nervous conversations and geographical guessing games working to determine the strongest support zones and eventual margin of the final tally. In the end, the institution’s professional guidance based on focus groups, pre-decision polling, and turnout estimates proved to be correct as a win had been predicted under the right circumstances.
It marks the first time the school has ever sought a capital millage of this sort, and now the work can begin.
In the photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com, Congressman Fred Upton and Dr. Bob Harrison discuss early returns at the Inn at Harbor Shores.
