District to sell off surplus land

The Fountain Valley School District unanimously approved a

controversial plan to sell a popular Little League park, paving the

way for a financial tug-of-war with the city over the fate of the

property.

At a Feb. 10 meeting, Fountain Valley trustees declared three

former school sites -- two in Huntington Beach and one in Fountain

Valley -- surplus property. Each valued at approximately $25 million,

the properties will be first offered for a fraction of their value to

the cities of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and the Orange County

Board of Supervisors and then at full market value to residential

developers.

For weeks, parents rallied to save the Wardlow field site at the

intersection of Magnolia Street and Pioneer Drive. The 14-acre site

holds a city park, the Huntington Valley Chapter of the Boys and

Girls Club and a Head Start office.

Wardlow field is also home to the Huntington Valley Little League,

which with the help of former slugger Mark McGuire and the Major

League Baseball Players Assn. dumped more than $300,000 into building

the baseball diamonds for league play.

The crux of the deal is money. The school district only gets about

$250,000 for leasing all three properties, Assistant Supt. of

Business Services Barry Blade said. Blade is recommending the school

district, which had to make $2 million in cuts in 2002, sell the

school sites and collect money from the interest.

With the school site now declared surplus, homeowners are

petitioning the city to buy the land. According to state law, the

city has to be offered the land at 25 % of its total value and

homeowners hope Huntington Beach will take the opportunity to buy the

land at a discounted rate.

Not likely, said Mayor Pro Tem Dave Sullivan, who called the

school board’s decision “callous and irresponsible.” He said the city

too faced tough budget times and would have to raise the money

through a taxpayer bond and costly special election, which he

predicted would ultimately fail.

“[Supt.] Ekert owes it to the parents to put a bond issue on the

ballot in the district to let the voters decide if they want to

preserve the sites,” he said in a prepared statement. “But he is

obviously trying to shift the responsibility and $100,000 cost to the

city. A bond issue in the district has a chance. We would have to

have a citywide vote and it would fail.”

Blade said the city could borrow the cash and repay the loan using

money from its general fund. He said his staff would consider any

proposal the city put forward.

“We’re not looking to put a gun to the city’s head,” he said.

“It’s not like we needed this money yesterday. There are other ways.”

City reaches agreement

The city has settled a long-standing lawsuit with the Southern

California Water Company.

In an attempt to block the water company from providing service to

a controversial housing project slated for the upper portion of the

Bolsa Chica Mesa, city officials had refused to grant a franchise

agreement to the water company and appealed a court order mandating a

franchise be given out.

Development of the Bolsa Chica wetlands has been a decades-old

battle between environmentalists and developers. Once planned to

include more than 5,000 homes and a major residential and commercial

development, the project was eventually carved down to a 347-home

neighborhood that could go before the Coastal Commission in March.

Facing the possibility of an eminent domain lawsuit and the

overturning of its appeal, the city opted for a settlement with the

water company.

Under the terms of the agreement, the water company will be

granted a 15-year franchise for at least $3,000 a year, along with

$126,000 payment to the city to settle its legal fees.

The pipeline will run alongside the southbound lane of Bolsa Chica

Avenue from Rancho Road to Los Patos Avenue, leaving one lane closed

for no farther than a quarter-mile at a time.

Restaurant opens with benefit

The newest component of the Huntington Beach Mall remodel is set

to open.

On March 3, the new California Pizza Kitchen on Edinger Avenue

will open its doors to Surf City, followed by a special fundraiser on

March 9 to benefit KOCE-TV.

Two new menu items will be introduced in restaurants nationwide

the day of the grand opening. “We are excited to open our newest

location in Bella Terra, Huntington Beach’s newest shopping and

entertainment destination,” restaurant co-founder Larry Flax said in

a press release.