This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

CUSD Sitting on Valuable Properties That Are No Longer Being Used

Sell Them and Use The Money To Fix Aging Schools

Dawn Urbanek, Neighbor
|

San Clemente High School's Upper Campus (originally Ole Hanson Elementary School) is 17.44 acres of 180' ocean view cliff top property. CUSD should sell this property. It is in a residential neighborhood next to a park. CUSD just paid Rancho Mission Viejo $2.4 million per acre for Esencia school site 5 miles inland. They could conservatively get $3 - $5 million per acre, which would bring the District between $50 - $80 million dollars that could be used to fix up San Clemente High School.


Instead; CUSD made the decision to spend $15 million on a modular building that eliminated 37 parking spots, and generated no additional capacity to bring all students onto San Clemente High Schools lower campus. The Negative Declaration states that CUSD does not have any plans at this time to improve or demolish the existing classroom building in the upper campus. The classroom building would be vacated and remain in its existing condition and not undergo any changes under the proposed project.

June 22, 2016 Board Meeting Agenda: Agenda Item #63 at page 848 http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1218998819331/1455438848279/6391347155659653187.pdf
Board Audio at 218:43 (3 hours 38 minutes 43 seconds): http://cusd.capousd.org/cusdweb/audio2015-16/CUSDBoardMeeting.June.22.2016.mp3

The proposed classroom building would total approximately 22,541 square feet and be of light-wood frame construction with localized steel framing. It would feature a total of 24 standard classrooms and support spaces, 2 men’s restrooms, 2 women’s restrooms, and 4 staff restrooms; the number of classrooms and restrooms would be evenly split between the two floors. The building would also include an elevator with an elevator lobby area on each floor, as well as exterior stairs.
San Clemente High will loose 37 parking places which will not be replaced.
San Clemente High is not gaining any new capacity.
San Clemente High School is a severely overcrowded school with a population of over 3,000 students on a campus built for 2,400.
Capistrano Unified is 8,555 students over capacity (5,235 are High School students).

I have to ask why this choice was made? It cannot be good for the City of San Clemente and adjacent neighbors of the property to have abandoned buildings left on the upper campus.














September 28, 2016 Board of Trustee Meeting Agenda Item #17 page 169

The Building Cost is $8,495,000.00 but CUSD has stated the cost is $15 million in all public documents.

Find out what's happening in San Juan Capistranofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

EXHIBIT 17: AWARD BID NO. 1516-10, SAN CLEMENTE HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING 800 - PAUL C. MILLER CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.

Exhibit A - Bid Summary - Bid No. 1516-10 San Clemente High School Building 800
Agreement - Bid No. 1516-10 San Clemente High School Building 800 - Paul C. Miller Construction Co., Inc.
Bid Form - Bid No. 1516-10 San Clemente High School Building 800 - Paul C. Miller Construction Co., Inc.



Change Order NO 1. Increased the Price to $9,127,455.60
January 25, 2017 Board of Trustee Meeting Agenda Item #9 page 341
Source: http://capousd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1218998819331/1455438848279/9111586113321678304.pdf

Changes included:

  • $9,264.40 Removal of 160 feet of abandon electrical Duct
  • $42,040.80 Increase the size of load bearing grade beams per DSA
  • $13,309.84 Waterproof interior side of concrete perimeter wall.
  • $9,114.11 Install a New Domestic Water line
  • $1,568.23 Install new piping for fire service water line.
  • $63,270.22 Relocate an exiting electrical duct bank.

Total $138,567.60

Find out what's happening in San Juan Capistranofor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Something is fishy.....

Capistrano Unified School District Facilities Projects and Funding May 27, 2015 projected these buildings to cost $15 million each- $45 million total and the only NEW capacity is at San Juan High School. Trustees thought they were getting increased capacity at all three high schools.

Agenda Item #16 Resolution to Approve the Annual 5-year Reportable Fees Report for 2015-16 http://capousd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1218998819331/1455438848279/1373709562469729052.pdf page 224 - 240
The use of Developer Fees must be directly linked to "EXPANDING ENROLLMENT" - San Clemente High is not getting any new capacity with this facilities project.

CUSD represented that the cost of this building was going to be $15 million

What are we really getting for the $45 million CUSD is spending on 3 Modular Buildings?

CUSD should sell this property - it is in a residential neighborhood next to a park. They could conservatively get $3 - $5 million per acre which would bring the District between $50 - $80 million dollars that could be used to fix up San Clemente High School.

When CUSD was marking the Measure M Bond CUSD stated that the cost estimate of San Clemente High's facilities needs were $91 million.

If CUSD had made the choice to sell San Clemente High's upper campus and had planned for real construction (not modular construction) the District would already have $65 - $95 million of the $91 million needed to complete San Clemente High's facilities.

Source:



Recently San Clemente has stated that it plans to move practice fields to the top campus.
Why would CUSD choose to do that?
Are they clearing room for the 241 Extension south to meet the I-5 Freeway at Pico?
CUSD somehow allowed the 241 extension at Oso Parway to grade a tollroad specification road within Tesoro boundaries 500' from the tennis courts.
Maybe the City of San Clemente should take a look at what is going on here. Remember - this is the school district that failed to share any information about Measure M with Cities during Ad Hoc meetings.
Note: In all public disclosures CUSD stated that the estimated cost of Esencia K-8 school site would be $21 million when they agreed to pay $33.86 million which CUSD tried to hide from the Public. Is CUSD inflating prices to get more in matching funds? What is really going on here?

More Pictures of this beautiful piece of property:

Looking East from upper campus to Verde Park which is right next door.



Looking east at the surrounding residential area.



Looking at the existing practice fields

Standing on the field looking towards the school







On the field looking down at San Clemente High - SC is getting new turf at a cost of $1 million dollars which they deserve. Congratulations CIF Champions!!!







Here is where the proposed Toll Road Extension is coming in-


Some pictures of the buildings that are going to sit ABANDONED -

























Once a California Distinguished School - Now an abandon school.





In a beautiful residential neighborhood








This Corrupt School District has done so much to harm the quality of life for the taxpayers it is suppose to serve that it is now time to break it up - not add another 70,000 people to its boundaries.

There are three other Properties that should also be sold: Instead CUSD is trying to development them to make money and provide low income housing for staff

See: CUSDWatch: https://cusdwatch.com/index.php/january-18-2017-asset-management-planning




CUSDWatch


Support This Important Work

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from San Juan Capistrano