Negotiations with Bovis Lend Lease, the District’s College Advocate/Owner’s Representative, was discussed during the Board of Trustees Meeting last Thursday.

In addition, M.L. Bettino, reading instructor, outlined the implementation process of TalonNet that this currently being used by faculty and Cerritos College students will begin using in the fall semester.

The Campus Transformation Committee received ten proposals and selected a list of five firms to be the College Advocate. The names of the firms remain unnamed.

Board member Carmen Avalos, was the first to express concern about one of the five firm project managers.

“From reading the documents (in front of me) the project manager had been removed from three other work sites,” she added, “and that has me concerned.”

Jo Ann Higgon, vice president of business services, quickly said that the unidentified project manager is no longer with Bovis Lend Lease.

Furthermore, Board Secretary, Bob Arthur, questioned the reference checking of the five firms.

The purpose of the reference checking is to identify the strength and weakness of the firm that can meet the District’s specific need of the CA/OR.

“I find it hard to believe that a negotiation contract can not be met with the firm that has the specific requirements,” Arthur said.

Afterward, the Board heard from Bettino about TalonNet and what phase the online site is at now.

Bettino demonstrated what the program would do for Cerritos College faculty and its students.

“With TalonNet there will be a calendar that will inform students of the schedules for the week,” he continued, “And the program will also have streaming video, instant messaging.”

If say, another student or an instructor is online that person can send and instant message to him or her to say that he needs to know what is going on, Bettino added.

“The hope is that by the end of 2007 every and any student attending Cerritos College will be using TalonNet,” Bettino said.

Higgon also said that the estimated budget cost would be $700,745 for phase two and the final phase of the implementation in the fall.

Board Member, Bob Hughlett asked, “Is the request you are asking for too cheap?”

Bettino reassured the Board telling it that, “(The) TalonNet demonstration I presented shows that Cerritos College has a incredible faculty,” he added, “and the faculty that have been using the pilot (of the program) are ready to jump into it.”

After the presentation, the Board unanimously approved phase two and the ending of implementing the program.