A memo from district superintendent John Casey to school board trustees reveals the strategy to defy the Coastal Commission and construct the new high school without an airport evaluation

by Peter Nichols
pnichols@tellingthetruth.com

A memo dated March 31, 2000 from Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent John Casey to school board trustees revealed a ``strategy'' developed in meetings with School Facilities Planning Division officials to give the site safety approval and let the district get hardship funding.

The memo describes the involvement of Jim Bush of the Office of Public School Construction who ``should be able to confirm the site as a safe one for students...without taking time for an aeronautic review''. The DOE must first confirm that the site is the same one approved by the Division of Aeronautics in 1992 and recertified in 1997.

The memo created a stir at the Queen Mary in Long Beach as Coastal Commissioners had gathered there to approve Keeley's historic memorandum of understanding -- a requirement of Watsonville's Local Coastal Program Amendments. With each commissioner apparently receiving their own copy of the Casey memo, the wherefores and the whereases hit the fan! Was it true? Was the district planning to ignore the Coastal Commission some more?

It has become obvious that school district and city officials view the commission's requirement for an aeronautic evaluation differently than do the commission's local staff and the commissioners themselves.

``The final action (by the commission) did not require specific reevaluation by the Aeronautics Program.'' said John Doughty, city development director. ``We didn't think it was the authority of the Coastal Commission that the evaluation would have to be done. The state Department of Education is the responsible authority.''

Casey said he was requesting the DOE recertify that the original 70 acres planned for the school is still safe for students. ``If we move up to the northern part of the site, there's no doubt that we'll need an evaluation.'' he said.

``We're trying to get the project funded,'' Casey said. ``If, later on, we make some modifications, then we'll proceed with those details. I'd rather get the money in hand.''

According to Grove, the commissioners sent a message to the city and the district that the commission's vote in March was a very difficult one and the commission takes the conditions very seriously.

John Dominguez of the School Facilities Planning Division said his office had copies of records from the 1992 and 1997 evaluations that had reportedly disappeared from the files of the Department of Transportation. He said his office would be taking action based on those records.

Duwayne Brooks, of the SFPD wrote in an e-mail that the division of aeronautics has reviewed all the material and concluded that the site is approvable for student occupancy.

Dominguez added that the Coastal Commission and the district have agreed to monitor the siting of the school and will address any aeronautical issues as they come up.

Grove said she was scheduled to meet with Dominguez later this month to discuss coordination between their respective agencies of the planning process as it relates to the proposed school.

The strategy for proceeding with the high school project as outlined in the Casey memorandum, divides the project into two phases. The first phase involves securing all approval and funding for the school as planned on the lower portion of the site. The second phase calls for the district to acquire the remainder of the site and plan its use.

Funding sources are identified within the memo, should state school funds not be available. They include park Park Bond Funds or Nature Conservancy Funds. Casey said, some consideration was given to developing that portion of the site for something other than daily school use. He had been told by the DOE that a stadium or parking lot for weekend or community evening use of the site would not require an aeronautic evaluation. For for daily school use, however, it would.

He said that with public sensitivity regarding the school's proximity to the airport running high, he would prefer that it be evaluated regardless of the funding.

One item within the Casey memorandum that has raised some eyebrows is the presence of ammonia tanks at a meat packing plant approximately 800 feet from Radcliff school. That school, located on Rodriquez St. is scheduled for conversion from an adult school to an elementary school.

The presence of toxic substances within 1000 feet would make it impossible to secure funding for the school's required upgrades. Casey said there are two possible approaches to that problem and the district may be willing to provide financial help to the packing plant owner. The tanks could be moved to a location beyond 1,000 ft. or the owner may be willing to reduce the tank size to under 500 gallons.

With either of those adjustments the plant would not need to be registered with the state, but Casey was unsure if the plant could be removed from the toxic list.

``If it remains registered, the state Department of Education will have problems.'' he said.