Neighborhood News

San Rafael Elementary School News

7-11 Committee Public Hearing

March 24, 2014

San Rafael Elementary School Auditorium

Photo courtesy of Stan Clark

Public Hearing of the San Rafael School Property 7-11 Committee

The 7-11 Committee was established by the PUSD Board of Education to develop recommendations for alternative uses of the San Rafael Elementary School 3.2 acre property.

The Committee is composed of community members, parents, school staff, and representatives of the business community, and is supported by District staff, legal counsel, and a representative of the City of Pasadena. (7-11 means the Committee has between 7 and 11 members). The Committee has held two previous meetings in January and February.

The establishment of the Committee was necessitated by the discovery of active earthquake fault lines on the property. This precludes the long term use of the property as a public school. The San Rafael staff, students, and program are scheduled to move to the former site of Allendale Elementary School, adjacent to the Blair Middle/High School complex, after July 1, 2017.

The public hearing at SRES on Monday, March 24 was the first of two hearings to get input into recommendations the Committee will be making to the Board of Education regarding the future uses of the school site.

An estimated 120 people attended the meeting and Public Hearing. Dr. John Pappalardo, Chief Financial Officer for PUSD, presented the timeline of events that led up to the decision of the Board to close the school. Mr. Eric Duyshart explained the role of the City in any proposed re-use of the property for other purposes. The site could be leased to a private school or for other public uses, or could be sold for residential home sites or other uses. The public and the members had questions for Dr. Pappalardo, Mr. Duyshart, and legal counsel regarding the necessity to vacate the property, on the alternative uses, and the procedures for making a final decision.

During the public hearing, 13 people presented their points of view about the process and alternative uses of the property.

Everyone in attendance was provided with a survey to identify their preferences for the use of the property, and uses or conditions they could not tolerate. 49 surveys were submitted.

The results of the public hearing and the survey will be presented and discussed at the next meeting of the Committee, March 31, 2014, 5:30 pm, at the District offices, 351 S. Hudson Avenue, Room 236.

The date for the next public hearing will be set by the Committee.

All meetings are open, and guests are invited to ask questions or make statements.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Adaptive reuse of the site potentially will introduce new impacts to the neighborhood and affect property values, good or bad. SRNA supports a cautious approach to this transition and a full understanding of zoning allowances for all those affected by the closure. 

For more information on the applicable state laws please see:

Alquist-Priolo Act of 1971

http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/rghm/ap/Pages/index.aspx

CA Code of Regulations (CCR)

http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/codes/ccr/t14/Pages/3600.aspx

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BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE:

Pasadena Unified School District on March 27, 2014 voted 4-2 (Kim Kenne absent) authorizing the district to accept bids for lease of the Linda Vista Elementary school site. [BR- 77-B]. Tom Selinske made the motion seconded by Dr. Elizabeth Pomeroy. Tyron Hampton and Dr. Mikala Rahn voted in favor. President Renatta Cooper and Scott Phelps voted against the motion.