Auditorium plans raise traffic, parking concerns
Angelique Flores
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Residents around Mesa View Middle School are
concerned about a proposed auditorium, which they say may cause traffic
congestion and car-packed streets.
Ocean View School District is planning to build an
auditorium/gymnasium at each of its four middle school -- Marine View,
Mesa View, Spring View and Vista View. The facilities will include two
basketball courts, three to six volleyball courts, TaraFlex Olympic Games
sports flooring, locker rooms, bleachers, a 40-foot stage and seating to
fit 1,700. Construction on the gyms will begin in July.
The district plans to use the buildings for school programs during the
week, from September through June. The gyms will also be available for
community use.
Some residents near Mesa View are concerned the large auditorium will
draw too many outside organizations, causing increased traffic and
parking to spill over onto nearby residential streets.
“Why are they cramming this into our neighborhood?” Rory DeAngelis
asked. DeAngelis lives on Jardines Drive, a street that borders the Mesa
View.
The district said the auditoriums will have more than one use, hosting
basketball, soccer and baseball games and the eighth-grade promotion
ceremonies. The auditoriums will also be used to better accommodate
back-to-school night, open house and drama presentations.
During school hours, the gym will free up the cafeteria for the
students to use at lunch time.
Any of the new events at Mesa View will have less of an effect than
the youth soccer groups that already use the school’s fields, Supt. Jim
Tarwater said.
The district has received support from more than 100 Mesa View
community members. Parents who have children at the middle school realize
the need for the facility, Tarwater said.
The maximum capacity seating of 1,700 would most likely be filled only
during the promotion ceremonies, which have been held in the past at
Golden West College or Ocean View High School.
“It’s difficult to care for our own parent and student needs because
we have to work around [Golden West’s or Ocean View’s schedules],”
Tarwater said.
DeAngelis said she doesn’t want the facility in her neighborhood. The
traffic caused by visitors would be a disruption to the community, she
said.
“There’s no need for them... just for a middle school promotion?” she
said. “I don’t think a graduation from a middle school is a big deal.”
Yolanda Bateson, a resident who lives on Vista Del Sol, is concerned
about parking.
“We’re not a shopping center, and that’s exactly what this tract has
turned [out] to be,” she said. “Our tract is a parking lot for whenever
anyone’s out there for games on Saturdays and Sundays.”
Any time there’s change, there’s concern, Tarwater said.
“The community members’ concern is a legitimate concern, not just for
auditorium use but for day-to-day school use,” said Tarwater, who added
that he wants to work with the community. “On the other hand, we have to
let our youth use our schools. By law, they have the right to use it.
“There will be more activity, but that’s the appropriate place to have
the activity.”
Tarwater expects that the parking areas the campus already has will be
able to accommodate the added visitors. The district plans to add about
50 to 70 new parking spaces on the school grounds.
During events that draw a larger crowd, visitors will be allowed to
park on the lawn. The school doesn’t expect more than a few hundred
people to attend school events.
“It is busy around schools because you have games on Saturdays,
regular practice during the week. Most of the community is supportive and
understands that,” Tarwater said.
Though some don’t want the facility in their neighborhood at all,
Paula Baird said she is only worried about how the community will use the
gym.
“This is not a community center. We didn’t buy into a community
center, we bought into a neighborhood school,” said Baird, an 11-year
resident on Avilla Lane.
But not everyone is as concerned about what the auditorium might mean
for the neighborhood.
“It’s a school, and the benefits of having a school in the
neighborhood far outweigh having traffic,” said Mike Monroe, a resident
on Jardines Drive.
Tarwater said he encourages residents to call and share their concerns
with him.
“I hope to reduce anxiety,” Tarwater said.
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