COLLEGE OF MARIN trustees face a dilemma. The college's marine biology laboratory across the street from the Bolinas Lagoon is going to cost taxpayers an estimated $3 million to repair.

Asbestos, lead-based paint and its location just 1,000 feet from the San Andreas Fault are big reasons why that cost is so high. The district's original estimate for fixing up the buildings was $509,000.

Voter passage of the $249.5 million capital bond measure for repairing and renovating College of Marin's campuses means there is money available; the question trustees face is whether pouring $3 million into the Bolinas facility is the best use of that money. The lab is the only one in the state dedicated to community college programs, but its poor condition makes that a tough decision in these difficult financial times.

The building on Wharf Road was built in 1914 and served as a Coast Guard station before the college acquired it in 1958.

It is a unique educational asset for the college and students and trustees should focus on keeping it in the college's academic arsenal.

As veteran COM biology professor Joe Mueller said, having a marine biology lab, a place on the coast where students can study natural sciences, instead of learning from textbooks in Kentfield, certainly raises the program's stature and potential.

It truly would be a shame to lose this asset. Before putting the lab up for sale, trustees should explore other alternatives, including establishing possible partnerships with other Bay Area colleges or schools that would reduce COM's share of the cost.

The lab is an educational opportunity that College of Marin likely would never be able to be replace.

Trustees first should conduct - without hiring an expensive consultant - a thorough analysis of the building's pluses and minuses, along with exploring ways to broaden its usage and fiscal support by developing cooperative arrangements with other educational institutions.