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| State Fish and Game Preserve adjacent to the high school site |
By Peter Nichols
Register-Pajaronian Correspondent
pnichols@tellingthetruth.com
The long running battle between school district officials and the local Coastal Commission staff over the construction of a high school in an environmentally sensitive area west of Highway 1 appears to be headed for a resolution in favor of the new high school.
The school's fate rests in the hands of the California Coastal Commission. That body could rule on Watsonville's application for amendments to their Local Coastal Program (LCP) at their March meeting in Carmel. The LCP gives the city jurisdiction over development within the Coastal Zone, and the amendments are needed to allow a public school.
Conversations with state, district and city officials, as well as local Coastal Commission staff and their executive director reveal that the parties are now looking for ways to make the proposed high school consistent with the Coastal Act.
Peter Douglas, Coastal Commission Executive Director, said local staff have abandoned their argument that more suitable sites are available.
``If you look at one of the alternatives,'' he said. ``It has a shopping center on it.''
Assemblyman Fred Keeley, who has earned the reputation of a facilitator in sticky government matters, has been working behind the scenes.
``I think both the Environmental community and the Coastal Commission staff are raising legitimate issues,'' Keeley said. ``I think they can be addressed satisfactorily through mitigation measures and conditions.''
``This application can be brought into harmony with the Coastal Act.'' he said.
John Casey, Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent, admits to ``engineering the project down somewhat,'' with regard to certain aspects of the facility _ ``but not as it relates to attendance.''
``We're looking for conditions that will make the project work,'' he said.< ``The issues remain the same,'' said Coastal Commission Deputy Director Tami Grove. She refers to the project's potential for growth inducement and protection of Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas (ESHA) as the primary concerns.
Some environmentalists see the new school as a breakthrough for the city, which in the past sought to develop lands west of Highway 1. According to Mayor Oscar Rios, the city now has lost interest in such development.
According to city manager, Carlos Palacios, school district lawyers are preparing a ``memo of understanding'' designed to guarantee that utility extensions west of Highway 1 will be used only by the high school.
``(The goal is) to get some legal parameters that will ensure that there will be no growth west of the highway _ that is a result of the high school,'' Palacios said. Commission staff have been generally receptive to the concept, he added.
On the other hand, the issue surrounding disturbance of ESHA within the wetlands is a little more problematic.
``Wetland issues are always difficult,'' Grove said. ``Because we've lost so many of them.''
Casey maintains that the ESHA issue is not a difficult one. If disturbance of ESHA is not allowed, the district could work around them, though the district proposes to replace the areas in question at a 5:1 ratio, he said.
``It is the impact on ESHA that effects the high school's foot print,'' Douglas said. ``So we're looking at re-arranging the foot print.''
One remaining bone of contention, however, is the new ESHA map _ submitted as part of the city's amendments _ showing a loss of wetlands on the site from approximately 10 acres in 1982 to less than five acres now.
``We're looking at historical data regarding the extent of wetlands and ESHA there,'' Grove said. ``And we'll evaluate how those areas should be treated.''
Work is intensifying on both sides as commission staff are seeking additional information to complete their report. Meanwhile, city and district officials are scurrying to provide answers to questions posed by the staff. The report, including the staff's recommendations, must be completed and made public prior to the March meeting.
There currently is no commitment from the commission to take-up the matter at that time, but it is the district's hope _ and the commission's stated policy supports that desire _ that the meeting be held near by, allowing local participation.
City Development Director, John Doughty, who is charged with responding to the local commission staff's information requests, feels a certain pressure as the clock winds down to the March deadline.
``We're in a time critical mode right now,'' he said. ``But there is a point where you have to stop studying it and make some conclusions _ That time is fast approaching.''
The new spirit of cooperation represents a turn-around from the combative relationship which has existed between local Coastal Commission staff and the district for years. The staff had previously warned _ as early as 1993 and repeatedly _ that the proposed project would exceed the scope of the Coastal Act.
Critics find this turn of events troubling. They see increased pressure on the local commission staff to cave-in to the district's educational needs, said Jim Van Houten of the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) and Watsonville Wetlands Watch.
``If that happens,'' Van Houten said. ``that means the Coastal Act has no consequence.''
According to Douglas, Governor Gray Davis has issued a directive to state agencies to help facilitate the construction of educational facilities whenever possible. Spokespersons for the governor have not yet been able to verify the existence of any such directive.
Supporters cite the overwhelming need for a new comprehensive high school to relieve severe overcrowding at the district's two existing high schools _ a condition that started the selection process in the mid 1980s and which has become more critical every year.
School district and city official have had their eyes on this site for at least 13 years. Last year, the school board voted unanimously to condemn the property in preparation for taking the land through eminent domain. They hope to acquire the property from owners, Ralph and Kathleen Edwards, for $1.5 million.
It is possible that the school district could acquire the property, then be turned down on its request to construct a high school there. According to Casey, under that scenario the state would not reimburse the district for the land purchase.
To help rally support for the proposal, district and city officials have engaged in a massive public relations effort. It is their desire to generate enthusiasm on the part of the community to carry to the commission meeting in Carmel. The campaign has enlisted the support of government and business leaders and has all but drowned-out local opposition to the project.
To insure that their message is heard by the right people, the school district also hired two lobbyists who are familiar with the commissioners and the process. The lobbyists along with district and city officials were in Santa Monica this month where commissioners gathered for their four-day monthly meeting.
The school district, having made a significant investment in time and money on the proposed site made a strategic decision to challenge the local staff and take the matter to the decision makers _ namely, the commissioners themselves.
``We knew that the regional office is not the decision maker,'' Casey said. ``The school board has taken the position, as a unit, to run this course, and the commissioners could say yes!''
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