Mt. San Jacinto College's two campuses have grown intermittently: seemingly plodding, not necessarily measured or paced. But that could soon change.

On Tuesday, voters in the expansive district, stretching from Temecula to Beaumont, will consider a $720 million bond, known as Measure G, that is expected to cover most of the costs to modernize and expand the San Jacinto and Menifee campuses and help build satellite centers in Wildomar and Banning.

If it passes, there would be a 25-year bond debt, officials said. College officials estimate that the highest rate property owners would pay to finance the debt would be $19.49 a year per $100,000 of assessed valuation. The bond needs 55 percent approval of the electorate to pass.

College administrators, including new President Mark Zacovic, say the bond -- the college's first in more than 40 years -- is imperative for the college to move forward. The college district is one of the state's largest, Zacovic frequently notes, and is situated in a corridor that is among the nation's fastest growing.

So, he contends, more classroom space is needed to meet the needs of the growing number of residents.

"It's the only way that the district can serve the burgeoning population," Zacovic said.

More space needed?

Richard Giese, the college's former president and now the chairman of the Measure G campaign, noted that Banning is expecting 50,000 new homes. Wildomar and Murrieta, he added, could add a combined 32,000 new homes.

"There's no college for them," he said.

The college's present enrollment is about 15,000, a number college administrators have projected will balloon to 50,000 in 2026. Such an increase would require an additional 38 buildings across the two existing campuses and two others that are proposed.

Yet, not all college officials support the bond. Trustee Ann Motte was the lone dissenter when the five-member board considered putting the bond on Tuesday's ballot. She has contended that the college has failed to maximize its existing classroom space, disputing Zacovic's frequent contention that the two campuses are "full to the seams."

"The buildings are not used on Friday afternoons, and the schedule needs to be compressed to place the maximum load on the facilities," Motte said. "That hasn't been done."

College administrators disagree.

The Menifee campus, contends Vice President of Business Services Becky Elam, is at peak capacity, particularly between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., the hours most popular with students.

"I would challenge you to find unused capacity," Zacovic said.

He acknowledged that the grounds around the classrooms at both campuses might not always appear to be populated, but added that it doesn't mean that the classrooms are empty and at half-capacity.

"Our students are often working" off-site when not in class, he said.

Giese agreed.

"If you look at the room book, you'll see (the campuses are) full on Fridays," he said.

Opposition

Mike Naggar, a Temecula councilman, has emerged as one of the most outspoken opponents of Measure G. He noted that the bond is the largest ever proposed in Riverside County.

"The size of the bond -- $720 million -- is a lot of money for an obscure college board," said Naggar, contending that for $720 million, Temecula could build new freeways and interchanges.

"What on earth do you plan on doing with $720 million?" he asked, saying he would have liked a delineation of all costs related to the proposed project.

Naggar and Motte's husband, John Motte, are business associates, but Naggar said their relationship has no bearing on his decision to vocally oppose Measure G. John Motte is a Perris councilman.

The college hasn't issued a delineated list of expected expenses to the public, but Zacovic said it's "impossible" to know the exact construction costs over the next 25 years, citing rising building costs. The cost to build a community college, he said, is rising by 1 percent a month.

"But the $720 million number isn't out of the sky," he said, noting that the college has included a "wish list" of priorities on the ballot. Those include technology upgrades to the existing campuses, as well as building the Banning and Wildomar campuses from scratch.

Zacovic said the wish list affords the college with "flexibility" in the event of soaring construction costs. The college thus can't guarantee that all items listed on the ballot will be built or completed, he said.

"This is a huge promise to the voters in exchange for them agreeing to tax themselves … that we're going to maintain (the campuses) and provide the highest possible quality education," he said.

Naggar doesn't just contest the bond. He said was disappointed that the college board of trustees, or representatives of the college, didn't present the merits of -- and justification for -- Measure G to area city councils, including Temecula's.

"It would have done a real service to our residents to tell us how they're spending our money," he said.

But Zacovic said he recently spoke to local business leaders in Temecula.

"They were very supportive," he said, adding that the Temecula Chamber of Commerce also endorsed Measure G.

Zacovic acknowledged that because of the abbreviated campaign -- the board approved the bond for Tuesday's ballot March 9 -- "we couldn't go to every council or (school) board." Zacovic was hired March 9.

Naggar also took note of the three-month window between the board's vote and Tuesday's ballot -- but for a very different reason. He contends that the college is trying to "sneak" Measure G by. The June ballot generally draws fewer voters to the polls than November elections.

Zacovic disputed Naggar's contention, citing "extensive polling" conducted by the Santa Monica research firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates. According to the January survey, about 60 percent of 500 likely June voters indicated they would support the bond.

The college's plans

If the bond passes, the college will establish an oversight committee composed of a representation of the Mt. San Jacinto College Foundation, a student, local business people and senior citizens, Zacovic said.

"We're poised to launch immediately into design and development of those campuses," he said, noting that a new Menifee classroom building could be one of the first completed projects.

But if the bond fails, Zacovic expects a substantially slower process to expand the existing campuses and open two others.

"If we don't get the $720 million, it'll take 80 years to do that through the normal (state and fundraising) channels," he said, "So, we'll never catch up."

In an effort to ensure that that doesn't happen, a pro-Measure G committee raised nearly $205,000 for its Measure G campaign. Zacovic gave $1,000 to the campaign; the college foundation contributed $30,000.

Much of the campaign funding came from legal and bond firms, as well as project management companies.

"There are trades and professionals who are supportive of the bond because it would provide work for them," said Zacovic, who noted that that's common for large-scale bond proposals.

Too much money?

Ann Motte that she would have preferred a much lower bond -- $100 million -- to be paid over 10, not 25 years. A $100 million bond would be matched by the state, she noted, which would provide the college with about $20 million per year, "which could be used for athletic fields."

She has contended that the college needs to be aggressive in boosting enrollment before proposing a $720 million bond.

But Zacovic noted that the bond funds wouldn't entirely be devoted to expansion.

"A huge part of it is to repair and replace outdated buildings and horribly inadequate facilities," he said.

Many of the buildings, he added, "were put up as temporary buildings. And they're still temporary buildings."

The Menifee campus, Trustee Joan Sparkman recently noted, was never fully built per its original master plan, which was first developed in 1986. So, some Menifee-area students must travel to San Jacinto to fulfill their requirements, she said.

Ultimately, however, the bond's success or failure will come down to affordability.

Giese contends that the bond isn't as expensive as it may seem. Because the district is so large geographically, the bond would be paid for by thousands of homeowners.

He noted that a home assessed at $200,000, as many in the region still are if they were bought four or five years ago, would be assessed $35 to $36 a year.

"You can't fill your gas tank for $35," he said.

But Naggar noted that Murrieta and Hemet residents also are being asked to support local bond measures. The Murrieta Valley Unified School District put a $120 million bond on the ballot to help build a new high school, middle school, two elementary schools and renovate existing buildings.

"You're (potentially) increasing these people's taxes by $300 in Murrieta," Naggar said. "Enough already."

Contact staff writer Brian Eckhouse at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or beckhouse@californian.com.