Task force to decide fate of Building No. 300 programs

Angelique Flores

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- The community at Fountain Valley High School has

formed a task force to help direct the fate of programs held in Building

No. 300.

The 30-year-old building is not equipped with earthquake protections

and doesn’t meet modern safety codes, and Huntington Beach Union High

School District officials want to demolish it before it becomes unsafe.

The district, however, has only enough money to replace the

55,000-square-foot building with one about half the size.

The existing building houses a cafeteria, the band room, wood and auto

shop classrooms, a photography lab, vocal music program room, and drama

and technology classrooms. The new building would include mainly a

cafeteria and restrooms.

Staff, parents and students say they are concerned that without space,

these programs will disappear.

“The building could be repaired, but the cost is nearly as much to

repair as to replace,” said Ed Baker, the district’s assistant

superintendent of facilities.

District staff is working to get more funding from the state, either

through grants or a bond, and the rest of the building will be replaced

if that effort is successful, officials said.

But the future of Building No. 300 looks grim.

“Most people realize it has to come down. The question is just when,”

Baker said.

The task force will help answer that question.

The group is comprised of teachers representing programs that may be

affected, students in those programs and student leaders.

“We’ll look at options and ultimately give recommendations,” Principal

Connie Mayhugh said.

The task force met Tuesday and is expected to meet again several times

this month. It plans to have recommendations prepared by December. A

geotechnical engineer will attend future meetings to elaborate on options

for the building.

The committee will also advise the district on what to do about the

possible loss of space if Building No. 300 is torn down. One option is to

use portable classrooms to house programs that wouldn’t fit into the new,

smaller building.

“It would be an easier task if we had the funds to replace the

building in kind, but we don’t,” Baker said.

The next task force meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday.