College master plan, tobacco-free policy advance

Flathead Valley Community College’s Board of Trustees on Monday passed the first reading of a tobacco-free campus policy and voted to move a draft update of a college master plan to a public review period.

Trustees gave unanimous approval to the first reading of a revised tobacco policy following a request by the Student Senate that the campus become tobacco free. This vote sends the policy to the College Council for review and comment prior to a final reading at the Nov. 19 trustee meeting.

Introducing the policy changes, college President Jane Karas said the college looked at other tobacco-free policies and found tobacco use was moved to the perimeter sidewalks of their campuses rather than forbidden completely.

This policy updates the name to tobacco-free, clarifies some wording and no longer specifies tobacco use as allowed in vehicles in the parking lot.

 Karas said the college would follow an implementation timeline including:

 Review by the college council.

 Identifying an area with less student traffic for the tobacco-use kiosk now located close to the Arts and Technology Building.

 Launch a program on smoking cessation for students and employees from December to June.

 Conduct an education campaign on tobacco-free rules on campus and put up signs making clear tobacco use is not allowed anywhere but in specified kiosks  between December and June.

 Implement the new policy in July 2013.

Most trustees spoke in favor of the recommendations since they addressed most of the concerns brought up in earlier discussions. Trustee Tom Harding said he was in favor of the proposals because they don’t push the tobacco-users on to neighboring properties and provide viable options for smokers.

Others agreed and complimented the smoking cessation element and other details.

“Moving the one building takes care of a lot of the complaints at the last meeting,” trustee Tom McElwain said.

After an extended discussion, trustees also agreed to move an updated master plan draft forward for review and comments by employees, students and the community. The master plan provides growth guidelines for the campus for the next 20 years, divided into increments of five years.

Tom Oslund of Oslund and Associates gave a slide presentation of the detailed plan after an introduction by Karas, who said the college first began working on a master plan in 2002. Oslund said he was returning with a master plan revised after a meeting in August with trustees.

After the review process, the draft master plan returns for another trustee review in January or February.

“It’s a dynamic process,” Oslund said.

He said that priorities and economic realities change master plans over time. Oslund recalled when the Arts and Technology Building and Early Childhood Center were in the concept phase when he began working on a plan in 2003.

Oslund’s presentation showed many changes in the areas around the college that have an impact on the master plan. He reviewed some of the goals set by the trustees for the plan including a strong identification of the campus at entry points, enhanced connections to the community, improved pedestrian environment and circulation, identification of pedestrian and vehicle conflicts and identifying building infrastructure needs.

Oslund called the master plan a road map to the future providing a strong direction for the campus with distinct plantings for landscaping at entries. The plan played a role in locating the new nursing and health science building and looks at a proposed university center, student center building and north/south trail system.

Oslund described the student center as a place used only by students for their government, committees and other activities. He show slides of centers he helped develop on other college campuses in the country.

“These things have become real necessary for colleges to complete,” he said.

A few of the other facilities incorporated in the 20-year view included a library expansion near the nursing building, student housing, a fitness center, low-key athletic facility, amphitheater and art gallery. The master plan also envisions adding tourism, viniculture and agricultural programs.

Buildings placements would create a student commons area and preserve mountain views to the North and East. Oslund provided points of entry to the West and South which provoked pointed questions from Trustee John Phelps who said trustees requested a north entry from the new bypass road with easy access to the campus.

Oslund said north entry and parking were part of the master plan. Some limiting factors in the area were a wet land area that would require a bridge and drainage.

Trustees finally unanimously voted to move the draft plan forward for public review. Karas said the college would host forums around the community to explain the plan and gather comments.

She said that the elements of the master plan were flexible.

“This is more of a design for us to work from,” Karas said. “The thing to remember is it’s a plan, not an edict.”