LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Any El Toro Stadium Should Be Off-Site

Sonny Morper, a Lake Forest resident, sent Lake Forest Patch the following letter to the editor:

The Saddleback Unified School District Board of Trustees have a political and ethical decision to make. Whether it is one or the other may be determined by your point of view regarding the current issue proposed by proponents of building a stadium on the El Toro High School campus. The issue: to add lights and seating for over 4,000 is winding its way thru the EIR process. Residents living in the district were limited to a 30 minute period during a recent school board meeting to speak for or against the issue. Others will be back to speak again.

Nothing was determined as yet by the school trustees but is expected to result in a vote as early as September. If approved, the completed stadium would not be available until well after the 2012 high school football season.

Background: El Toro High School has no stadium though upgraded turf and a high quality track have been installed in recent years. The issue of a stadium is not new with previous school boards unable or unwilling to install the lighting and bleachers. The history of the issue includes board rejection to build a stadium prior to homes encompassing the stadium in the mid 70s. Principals over twenty years declined to pursue the topic citing the known objections from residents who would be affected by noise and traffic, especially those who live adjacent on four sides of the campus now.

In 2003 hopes for a completed stadium were raised when the language in the district’s publicity included construction of an "OFF-site“ stadium for El Toro High School as part of the school district’s 180 million dollar bond election known as Measure B. Local residents compromised by agreeing to the off-site stadium and reciprocally agreed to support the bond measure if no stadium would be constructed on campus.

Measure B was passed in March of 2004. The successful bond election was to finance construction for priority projects identified for every school throughout SVUSD. El Toro High School area residents supported the Bond election anticipating an off-site stadium to be constructed. Though an Oversight Committee was formed and has met since construction on various projects began to be completed, there has been nothing successfully done to construct an off-site stadium since 2004.

Within the last month a second school principal from ETHS has announced an effort to move forward with plans for an ON-site stadium. A previous principal, in 2005, and his superintendent abandoned their proposal when residents complained to the school board that Measure B money was to be used for an off-campus stadium.

Today, the district has available enough money from local “redevelopment funds” to build a stadium, the current bleachers and lighting project. However, there is no compromise position and the ETHS community has been in turmoil since the issue surfaced in the last month.

Residents who believed the compromise of 2004 Measure B, to build an OFF-site stadium, view the latest proposal with alarm. Their support for Measure B guaranteed multiple projects in all the other schools in the district would be financed by the 180 million dollar bond election. They also believed their support negated any on- site stadium from being constructed. Measure B was a win-win scenario for everyone. 

It was a compromise by everyone to vote for Measure B and the result was to be a much desired stadium for ETHS, just off site.

Some residents in favor of the new “on-campus” plan suggest other residents “live with it.” Residents in opposition cite the years of turmoil, now being resurrected by district representatives in what they describe as a “Bait and Switch Plan, part two” since a second principal is trying to "throw voters under the bus” and force a lighted stadium which could be used on multiple nights for football, bands and other teams vying for use of the space in the evenings year round.

No one is pinning the district down as to why an off-site location was never identified, purchased or traded for. Unimproved areas within the City of Lake Forest remain though no complete effort appears to have been successful in identifying enough space for a dedicated football field.

Presently, the will of the people as registered in the successful Bond election has not registered with the school board well enough to stop the EIR process rather to give property selection for an off-site stadium much needed closure.

At risk for the school board is unilaterally completing an on-campus stadium and the reality that future efforts to gain support for other capitol projects via a school bond election will surely fail because of a lack of trust created from failure to follow thru on the Measure B compromise. Redevelopment money available today is not a license to bypass the united intent of the El Toro Community previously: to have an off-site stadium. 

Getting a stadium completed on campus is much more expensive because of the way the voters will look at it all across the district and will assuredly by those who feel betrayed.

The best solution to the issue was put in the trusted hands of the voters previously. They have spoken and agreed: An off-site stadium should be constructed. Had the El Toro community been forced to accept the concept of Measure B money being used for an On site stadium, all of the Measure B items, at every school in the district, would have been in serious jeopardy of failing. With wisdom, the district united the voters around a common solution. Voters responded in the affirmative and authorized $180 million to meet their needs.

This school board would do well to put history on their side knowing that the voters have indicated their mutual desire is to have a stadium. Better that it be off campus for harmony today, tomorrow and for sure, the future.

Go Chargers!