BOARD MEETING DATE: December 4, 2009
AGENDA NO. 5

PROPOSAL:

Execute Contracts for Student Co-op Program

SYNOPSIS:

Since August 1995, the AQMD has contracted with the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation (Foundation) for the services of student interns in Finance, AQMD Laboratory, and Engineering and Compliance (E&C). These interns perform a variety of valuable tasks for each division. The current contract for E&C will expire on December 31, 2009. The contracts for Finance and the Laboratory with the Foundation were renewed at the July 2009 Board meeting. This action is to execute a three-year contract with the Foundation for E&C in an amount not to exceed a combined total of $20,000 per year. College students throughout the region may apply for the student intern positions through the Foundation. Initial funds for these contracts have been included in the E&C FY 2009-10 Budget.

COMMITTEE:

Administrative, November 13, 2009, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Authorize the Executive Officer to execute a three-year contract for E&C with the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation for an amount not to exceed $20,000 per year through June 2012. 
 

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Since August 1995, AQMD has been utilizing the services of student interns provided through the Co-op Program of the Foundation. The Foundation provides intern opportunities to students from many of the local colleges and universities. This program has been beneficial for both AQMD and the student interns. College students who are selected in the program have gained real-world work experience at the same time that they are earning academic credits for their college education.

For the past 14 years the student intern program has been utilized by AQMD’s Finance office and Laboratory. The initial contract E&C signed with the Foundation was in 2006 for two years, 2006-2008. The contract was subsequently renewed to extend the contract to December 2009. Since 2006, six students have participated in this program for E&C. Four of these students were from Cal Poly Pomona, one from Loma Linda University, and one from University of Southern California. In the E&C office, these interns assist in and perform tasks such as updating web pages, and processing requests from various school districts to provide maps and data of SCAQMD permitted facilities within the requested vicinity of the requested school sites using Geographic Information System (GIS).

Proposal

Execute a three-year contract with the Foundation for Co-op Program Services for Engineering and Compliance in an amount not to exceed $20,000 per year through June 2012.

Resource Impacts

Funds for this contract have been included in E&C organizational unit’s FY 2009-10 Budget and funding will be requested in each of the remaining fiscal years of the contracts.