Contract was already canceled last month when COC said it was ‘under review’
While College of the Canyons officials said last month that the contract to have a Valencia-based developer build a career technical education center was “under review,” the college already had backed out of the contract three weeks before that statement was released.
According to a letter sent July 3 to Intertex President Darcey Oldhafer by Omar Torres, assistant superintendent of instruction for the college, the college was electing to “exercise the right of termination for convenience under section 15 of the agreement,” with an effective date of July 5.
In response to a query from The Signal concerning recent developments with the Advanced Technology Center, including whether the contract had been canceled, Eric Harnish, spokesman for the college, wrote the following in an email dated July 24:
“The contract between the college district and Intertex is currently under review by both parties. The board of trustees will receive an update on any proposed changes at a future board meeting. The college remains committed to moving forward with building a permanent Advanced Technology Center where students can receive the high-tech, hands-on training that will prepare them for rewarding careers with local companies.”
In fact, by that time the college already had informed the developer that the contract was canceled.
After multiple sources told The Signal that the contract cancellation letter had been sent, the newspaper requested a copy of the letter on July 24. The college initially did not respond, but on July 30 acknowledged receipt of the query and said it would be treated as a California Public Records Act request.
A copy of the two-paragraph, one-page letter was provided to the newspaper on Monday evening, Aug. 12.
COC officials were not available to answer follow-up questions on Tuesday, including COC Acting Chancellor David Andrus, Harnish and Torres.
Oldhafer, of Intertex, also did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
The two parties had entered into an agreement in 2023 that was later unanimously approved on May 10 of that year by the Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees, which oversees the college. The agenda for Wednesday’s regular board meeting does not include an item referring to Intertex or the ATC.
According to the contract included with the 2023 agenda item, the center had an expected completion date of May 2025 and was set to cost nearly $20 million using Measure E funds.
Measure E is a $230 million general obligation bond approved by Santa Clarita Valley voters in 2016.
In Torres’ letter, he wrote that the college is terminating the contract “for convenience,” which the contract states either party is able to do prior to Intertex receiving the funding for the construction.
“In addition to any other rights it may have under this agreement, at law, in equity or otherwise, (COC) may unilaterally terminate this agreement for its convenience at any time prior to the time when (Intertex) secures funding for the construction of the ATC facility,” section 15 of the contract reads.
The center was meant to be built on a 3.78-acre site located at 26650 Valley Center Drive, southwest of Valley Center Drive and Golden Valley Road.
That site is currently owned by Intertex as of October 2023, with an assessed property value of approximately $5.2 million. Prior to that, the land was owned by VBC 3 Investors, which is affiliated with Aspen Management, which has offices in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys.
Prior to the board approving the deal, Harnish told The Signal that the center would be an “off-site facility that will train students in advanced manufacturing, CNC (machining), welding, fabrication and construction technologies.”
The facility would specialize in those types of programs, as well as house the large equipment necessary to run those programs, he added.
“It’s an exciting project and there’s growing demand for skilled employees in these career fields,” Harnish previously told The Signal. “The college is excited to move forward with these programs to meet the needs of local employers and create opportunities for students to gain the skills that lead to rewarding careers.”
A temporary center is in place at 23606 Diamond Place, off of Centre Point Parkway. That center was partially paid for using $1 million in federal funding secured by Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, through a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package passed by Congress, according to a COC news release.
An additional $5 million in federal funding was secured through the $1.7 trillion omnibus package signed by President Joe Biden in December 2022. Garcia and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, along with then-Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, were responsible for getting that funding to help purchase equipment required to providing high-quality training in robotic automation production, non-destructive inspections of aircraft and firefighting, according to a COC news release.
