THROUGH MY EYES -- RON DAVIS
I’ve vacillated for some time over the middle school
gymnasium/auditorium issue. That’s where the Ocean View School District
contemplates building four large multipurpose buildings at four
Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley middle schools.
I’ve spoken with Ocean View Supt. James Tarwater on the subject. I’ve
reviewed a three-inch stack of correspondence, budgets and projections.
I spent over an hour at Marine View, one of the four middle schools,
reviewing its existing facilities. I walked the neighborhood. I’ve spoken
with a considerable number of the affected residents. Still I was
conflicted on the subject.
A legitimate argument can be made that given the district’s long list
of repairs already needed at these schools, the money invested in these
gymnasiums/auditoriums would be better used maintaining what the district
has, rather than building something that contributes to future
maintenance obligations.
On the other hand, after my visit with Tarwater and the school site,
I’m persuaded that these facilities are not a tribute to “Gym Tarwater,”
but very much needed by the middle schools.
What troubles me is the recent rhetoric from representatives of the
district.
A few weeks ago, Huntington Beach Councilwoman Connie Boardman
publicly asked the Huntington Beach city attorney for a legal opinion
discussing the circumstances under which the city could be involved in
the construction or use of these multipurpose buildings. This request was
in response to the concern of some of the middle school neighbors fearing
that these buildings would not only be used by the middle school
population, but other groups who might rent the facilities until as late
as 10 p.m. and on weekends.
Having spoken to a number of these citizens, their concern, and in my
judgment, appropriately so, is the noise and traffic this additional use
might create in their residential neighborhoods. All of the residents I
spoke with did not object to the construction of these
gymnasiums/auditoriums for the use of the middle school population. If
that creates additional traffic and noise, they’ll put up with that --
for the good of the school kids. What they have real reservations about
are the prospects of having various groups of kids and/or adults coming
to the gymnasiums/auditoriums, until late into the evening, and parking
in front of their homes, slamming car doors and vocally celebrating their
victories or bemoaning their losses, so that the district can pay for the
buildings. I happen to believe their concerns are legitimate and warrant
consideration. I think it is appropriate for a City Council member to ask
where the boundary line is between something which is solely a school
district concern and something which impacts the city and its citizens.
By asking the question, no one is suggesting that the city will or ought
to take action, but certainly knowing where the line is drawn is
appropriate. In response to that request, a member of the school board
and the Marine View principal spoke at the Huntington Beach City Council
meeting on March 5.
In essence, they accused the council member, and those in the
community who want to know where the line is drawn, of being anti-kids.
That kind of name calling, particularly by educators, is offensive.
The people in these neighborhoods these officials label as “anti-kids”
are the same people who put up with a small army of yellow buses belching
diesel fumes in their neighborhoods twice a day, not to mention the
noise. They put up with the parents who clog their tracts with cars
dropping off and picking up their kids. They put up with the noise of
over-energized kids walking to and from school. They put up with a lack
of parking when special conferences and programs occur. To suggest that
these people are “anti-kids” because they’re concerned about the affect
of introducing additional populations into their neighborhoods, in
addition to the middle school population, solely so that the district can
pay for or maintain these buildings, is absurd.
In my view, it is the responsibility of the district to respond to
these concerns by providing credible assurances to the neighborhoods that
this will not occur, rather than negatively labeling those who have every
right to be concerned -- that is, unless the district intends to be a bad
neighbor.
* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He
can be reached by e-mail at o7 RDD@socal.rr.com.f7
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