Spring View gymnasium project moves ahead

Angelique Flores

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The Ocean View School District Board of Trustees

have moved forward with plans for the controversial Spring View Middle

School gymnasium/auditorium.

Tuesday’s 5-0 decision was postponed until Trustee Pam Ogdon received

a legal opinion allowing her to vote even though she lives nearby the

school. The board already passed the construction of the gyms at Marine

View, Mesa View and Village View middle schools by a 4 to 1 vote, with

Trustee Barbara Boskovich dissenting, on April 5.

The board’s action authorizes an environmental study by LSA Associates

Inc. for the middle school site. This initial study will analyze 17

points including traffic, noise, lighting and aesthetics and send the

findings to the architect. The process will take about four to six weeks,

and the moratorium on funding for the project will be lifted when the

environmental report is complete.

A final environmental report will be available to the public before

board approval. Trustees will vote on the architect’s designs, which will

be done upon the environmental study’s completion.

The size of the Spring View gym, as with the other three facilities,

has been minimized to 18,616 square feet, with a possible additional

1,198-square-foot classroom to accommodate two middle school-sized

basketball courts, or one-and-a-half high school-sized courts. Original

designs had the gyms large enough for two full-size courts at 19,600

square feet.

Seating will accommodate 990 people, and the outdoor amphitheater was

eliminated.

The location of the gym was moved away from the residences, as

requested by the community advisory committee, near the northeast corner

of the campus.Funding for the $12-million project is largely dependent on

money from the short-term leases of closed school sites. Trustees Carol

Kanode and Boskovich have agreed that the funding plan needs further

study.

However, residents are uneasy about the plans, including Kamran

Ramezani, who didn’t think the district made enough compromises.

“Cutting down about 1,000 square feet is not enough,” Ramezani said.

“The school district has not listened to the neighborhood. They did not

listen to the [community advisory committees].”

While many residents realize the need for the facility, the biggest

controversy arose over the district’s original proposal to rent the gyms

to outside groups. Residents in all four middle school communities are

vehemently opposed to renting the gyms to outside groups which could

affect traffic and parking around their homes.

But the board will vote on a policy at the May 15 board meeting that

would prohibit the rental of the gyms for non-school-related purposes.

However, according to the the Civic Center Act, the gyms must be open

to the American Red Cross for emergency shelters, Scouts, Parent Teacher

Organizations, school and community advisory committees and the registrar

of voters for a polling place. With the exception of the American Red

Cross and the Registrar of Voters, hours are restricted to 5 p.m. and 7

p.m. Monday through Thursday, except on district holidays.

Boskovich requested that the policy specifically state that no use

shall be permitted on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. However, trustees Pam

Walker and Tracy Pellman were adamant about avoiding redundancy. Ogdon

agreed.

Though the majority overruled Boskovich’s request, attorney Brian

Smith said the current wording already effectively excludes usage on

those days.

“[The policy] provides an enforceable vehicle,” Supt. Jim Tarwater

said. “You never open the door up for liability.”Boskovich also brought

forth a Declaration of Restrictive Covenants, another means of blocking

outside rental. This would go beyond board policy and be filed with the

county, with the restrictions placed on the property.

However, the district and its employees could easily face a lawsuit by

anyone who lives within district boundaries if there is any violation or

threatened violation.

“It would not be in the district’s best interest to take on such an

expensive liability,” Smith said.

But Boskovich argues that if the district said it keeps its word not

to rent out the gyms, she doesn’t see why a lawsuit would arise.

“There is a lack of trust and we need to do something to regain the

community’s trust in us,” Boskovich said.

She added that she would prefer to see the covenant go through because

it is a stronger move to secure that the gyms won’t be rented.

“There’s no way we can out employees at liability,” said Walker, who

opposes the proposal. “The other policy more than adequately covers the

community’s need.”

Although Boskovich’s proposal lacked board support, she will bring the

item up for a vote at the May 15 board meeting.