FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Los Angeles Community College District and Division of the State Architect Sign First Ever “Formalized Partnership”

Agreement Will Fast Track Approvals of Construction Projects Valued at More Than $5 Million

March 1, 2006 (LOS ANGELES) – Consistent with the desire to streamline review of community college construction projects across California, the Division of the State Architect (DSA) and the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) have announced a formalized partnership that will fast track approvals for construction projects at the nine LACCD campuses.  DSA provides design and construction oversight for K-12 schools and community colleges.

"This collaborative process will help speed the LACCD's extraordinary effort to transform its nine campuses and two satellite facilities into state-of-the-art educational facilities," said David Thorman, State Architect of California. "This process is a model for making sure the plan review and approval process is directly connected to the design development process.  That should help districts deliver needed projects more quickly while maintaining the high standards and integrity of the Division of the State Architect review process." 

Under the terms of the partnership, LACCD and its design and construction partners must meet specific deliverables for DSA to then review construction projects earlier than is called for in the traditional DSA plan review process.  This new process grew out of a quarterly partnering meeting between DSA and LACCD, and was created to improve process and review status of construction projects while they are still under development.

The new process calls LACCD's design partners to confer with DSA on a project's technical requirements and anticipated DSA submittal date at 75 percent completion of construction drawings, and for 100 percent complete drawings to be submitted by LACCD on the agreed upon submittal date, allowing DSA to commit staff time for immediate plan review.

DSA and LACCD’s formalized partnership is documented in an executed agreement between the two organizations.  The agreement covers all projects that are more than $5 million in value.

“We will have several hundred construction projects go through DSA for approval,” said Larry Eisenberg, executive director of Facilities Planning and Development for the Los Angeles Community College District.  “This new process helps us head off problems at the pass and ensures we are able to move faster in gaining approvals. The bottom line—this formalized partnership means we can start building faster than before.”

The Los Angeles Community College District’s construction and modernization projects receive funding from Propositions A and AA, two bond measures overwhelmingly approved by Los Angeles voters in 2001 and 2003.  Propositions A and AA are providing more than $2.2 billion for new construction and renovations at each of the nine community colleges.  For more information on the bond program, visit the Web site at www.PropositionA.org .

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MEDIA CONTACT:  David Herbst  |  Kristen Rockwell, MWW Group (213) 486-6560

 Los Angeles Community Colleges

770 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90017