Residents still not satisfied with committee members

Angelique Flores

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Residents near Marine View Middle School have

another voice on its gymnasium advisory committee, but it’s still not

enough.

Last week at separate meetings, people living around the four middle

schools in the Ocean View School District each chose two representatives

to sit on the Middle School Gymnasium/Auditorium Community Advisory

Committee. Representatives were voted on by residents attending the

meetings.

People who live near Marine View are concerned that the

representatives chosen for their school do not represent the area

neighborhood.

“How could somebody who doesn’t live in the affected area adequately

express the concerns of the people,” asked resident Todd Emmons. “They

have no vested interest in anything that happens in the residential

areas.”

Tom Overend and Willie Correia, the two residents who were elected

Nov. 27, live in Huntington Harbour -- still part of the student

attendance area but not adjacent to the school. Of the 89 residents who

voted at the Marine View meeting, the majority were from Huntington

Harbour.

Two days after the election, Correia announced his plans to resign

from the committee to avoid any possible conflicts of interest. As a

structural engineer, he has worked for the district’s architect, Paul

Westberg of Westberg & White Inc.

Emmons, who was the alternate, will take Correia’s place. Resident

John Scandura is the new alternate.

The advisory group was created to review details such as the use,

fiscal plan and size of four proposed gyms the district wants to build at

Vista View, Marine View, Mesa View and Spring View middle schools.

The committee will make recommendations to the board, which will

ultimately decide whether to construct these facilities.

“I feel it is a little bit more balanced,” Emmons said of Correia

stepping down. “However, people in the neighborhood still want Overend

off the committee.”

However, Overend, who has a child at Marine View, has a right to be

there, Supt Jim Tarwater said.

“I’m looking forward to representing the attendance community,”

Overend said. “All the members of the community are equally represented

here. The neighbors have a member. The attendance area has a member.

They’re all well-represented.”

Besides two community members from each middle school site, the

committee is comprised of the four middle school principals, the

parent/teacher support group president, the interim director of

maintenance, operations and facilities.

However, confusion has erupted over the word “community” when

describing the community members elected to committee.

“We keep saying community, but nobody is saying what that really is,”

Trustee-elect Barbara Boskovich said. “Is this just the people who live

adjacent to the school or the attendance area [of the school]?”

Emmons insists that the board was thinking only of the residents who

live near the school when referring to the community. However, not all

trustees presumed the same.

“I did not want to be exclusionary of anybody in my vote,” Trustee

Tracy Pellman said.

Marine View Principal Liz Williams agrees with Emmons that the two

representatives may have two different perspectives, but not necessarily

opposing.

“I do not view this as an ‘us versus them’ issue,” Overend said.

While Emmons feels he could represent the community adequately, he

doesn’t “want anyone to have the upper hand.” Adamant about confining the

community members on the advisory committee to residents who live

adjacent to the school, he’s willing to enter into a legal battle over

it.

“[The district] hasn’t stuck to the true spirit of things, and if they

won’t stick to that, what makes us think we’ll stick to anything else?”

Emmons said. “Everyone is very concerned over what is going to happen to

us.”

Boskovich feels the issue should be addressed and resolved soon.

“Until [residents] feel comfortable with the answers, I don’t see the

problem going away,” Boskovich said. “That’s not a good way to enter into

a project.”The next Community Advisory Meeting will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 13

at the district office and will be open to the public.