FRANKENLUST TOWNSHIP, MI — Delta College officials are looking at four areas in Saginaw to build a new satellite center: Michigan Avenue, Old Town, downtown and Buena Vista Township.

The Bay County-based college has a Saginaw County campus located in Buena Vista Township's Ricker Center, 1925 S. Outer, but is planning to move and likely build anew.

The Delta College Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Tuesday, Dec. 10, to adopt seven criteria for the administration and board to choose a new Saginaw location.

The criteria are demographic and workforce alignment; pedestrian, vehicular and transportation access; image, identity and perception; proximity to community assets; community contribution; local economic and political feasibility; and multi-institutional collaboration and partnerships.

About 60 people attended the meeting, including former Saginaw Mayor Joyce Seals, Buena Vista Township Supervisor Dwayne Parker and Buena Vista Township Trustee Gregory Carter.

Ann Arbor-based architecture firm SmithGroupJRR, which is working with Delta College, suggested those four zones, which each have a 2-mile radius.

In January, Delta College President Jean Goodnow will recommend a location to the board.

Board Vice Chairman Mike Rowley said he wants to keep in mind the new campus location compared to Delta’s other campuses and safety for students when choosing a zone and location.

For too long, Saginaw has been neglected, said Trustee R. Earl Selby. The Bay City campus in the Delta Planetarium there shows special things can happen with the right community partnerships, he said.

Selby said he uses the pursuit of excellence, student success and community partnerships as his personal criteria for the move.

Delta College leaders say they hope to use the move to expand Delta College's reach and provide educational programs students want at the satellite locations in Saginaw, Bay City and Midland.

There’s a population of Saginaw residents who do not have access to higher education that Delta is not serving, Goodnow said. The college is looking for a location to expand services to those students, she said.

The Ricker Center serves 650 students, who take mainly English and math courses.

About 43 percent of Delta College’s 10,301 students are from Saginaw County.

About 600 students come from Tuscola County, Goodnow said, and administrators are interested in attracting more students from both Tuscola and Huron counties.

Seals advocated for a location in downtown Saginaw.

Parker asked the board to consider Buena Vista Township, particularly the Town Center. Student accessibility is key for the campus, he said, and the Town Center is on M-46 and close to I-75 and M-81.

Buena Vista Township is on the eastern side of Saginaw County, he said, providing a close location for students from Frankenmuth, Birch Run, Caro, Tuscola and other nearby towns and cities.

— Lindsay Knake covers education for MLive/The Bay City Times and The Saginaw News. Follow her on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com.