By Peter Nichols
pnichols@tellingthetruth.com
WATSONVILLE -- The Sunday afternoon press conference where supporters of the new high school had hoped to sign an agreement with leading environmental groups was downgraded to a progress report on those efforts.
Arranged by Assemblyman Fred Keeley, the gathering included top city, county and Pajaro Valley Unified School District officials as well as representatives of Watsonville Wetlands Watch, the Sierra Club and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. Kelley had brought the parties to the table in two private meetings in recent days to broaden community support for the new facility.
``We're at the beginning of a process,'' Keeley Said. He described an agreement on a ``road map'' (see side bar), that if followed, would lead to a comprehensive agreement between the parties. He has repeatedly expressed confidence that the Coastal Commission's concerns about the project can be mitigated and that a comprehensive high school will be constructed on the site.
The proceedings were periodically interrupted by a group of approximately 20 protesters, some carrying placards, registering objection to the new coalition.. As successive private planes flew overhead, protesters shouted ``We can't hear you!'' to underscore the concerns some have over safety and noise issues surrounding the airport.
According to a letter from Keeley to Mayor Oscar Rios, the ``road map'' involved a four step process. The anchor provision which environmentalists find very attractive calls for an enforceable agreement that will for ever prevent the city from developing other lands west of the freeway _ starting with the Tai property located across Harkins Slough Rd. from the proposed site.
When all substantive steps are completed, the agreement calls on participating environmental groups to support the city and the school district in their efforts to realize the high school _ all the way to the Coastal Commission. Construction of the facility requires that the commission accept amendments to the city's Local Coastal Program which could be on the agenda of the regulatory body's March meeting in Carmel.
``An agreement to permanently protect the coastal area west of Highway 1 would be a victory for students, a win for wildlife and a triumph for community cooperation and compromise,'' said Christine Johnson-Lyons, representing Watsonville Wetlands Watch. ``We're committed to the process, and we're optimistic.''
According to city councilman Chuck Carter, the task of removing the Tai property as a target of study from the city's General Plan will be taken up at the council's meeting on Tuesday at 7:30. The body had previously agreed to revisit the matter.
Regarding the prospect of giving up on developing land west of Highway 1 to allow the high school to go forward, Carter acknowledged the potential for reticence on the part of some council members. He said the city has great needs in the area of housing and job growth, and little room for expansion.
Expectations were high following the Friday meeting leading to the press conference. At that time, Keeley termed the agreement ``delicate''.
``The three parties have made great progress,'' Keeley said after that meeting. ``But this is a group that could spook very easily. And there's a lot of time between now and Sunday.''
The fragile alliance that Keeley had engineered began to crumble late Friday as details of the agreement began to surface.
``We agreed,'' Keeley said. ``And I felt that there was a general understanding that we would make our statements to the press on Sunday.''
Marilyn Hummle, the Sierra Club representative who had expressed her intentions to attend the gathering suddenly backed out and did not attend. The group's local chapter held a meeting Friday night and issued a press release declaring that they would not send a representative. ``It is our hope that community leaders will . . . build a high school at a site that protects the environment,'' the release read. The door to future negotiations, however, was left open.
In an apparent conflict with that group's decision, Patricia Matejcek was introduced as representing the Sierra Club at the gathering. She acknowledged the significance of the discussions but remained guarded in her comments regarding the outcome.
``Agreeing to a first date doesn't mean you're ready to walk down the isle.'' she said.
Details of the schools construction within the site boundaries, were the subject of one of the four steps outlined in the Keeley letter. To complete the agreement, the Coastal Commission's concerns regarding grading the slope near the wetlands and the prospects for developing land adjacent to the school site would have to be addressed.
John Casey, PVUSD superintendent said modifications were being considered but he anticipated no need to change the location of any buildings or ball fields. Those type of changes might cause the plans to be sent back to the Department of the State Architect which could cause a delay, he said.
In a related development, the local Coastal Commission staff have requested information in a letter to the state Department of Transportation regarding the evaluations of the site by their Aeronautics Program. The staff registered concern about potential conflicts with state regulations as siting options are being explored.
According to the Jan. 24, 1999 letter, the site was determined to be ``incompatible with school development'' in 1987, but in 1992 the site was deemed ``suitable for a school.''
``These things get political.'' said Daniel Gargas, state safety inspector for the Watsonville airport which is located less than a mile from the proposed high school.
He added, ``This site has always been a fence sitter''. The proposal evaluated in 1987 described a larger site located closer to Airport Blvd. than the one evaluated in 1992. And, during the 90's, flight activity decreased relative to previous years, he said.
Evaluations, according to Gargas, take into account the number of flights, the size of the planes using the airport, and the altitudes and traffic pattern maneuvers occurring near the site.
Gargas provided an extension of the 1992 evaluation in a June 1997 to the school district. Evaluations require renewal every five years until a site is actually acquired.
Airport manager Don French, in an apparent conflict with Gargas, said flight operations had remained static from '86 to '91 or '92, but a marked increase in traffic followed. The Federal Aeronautics Administration expects a one to two percent annual increase in flight activity to continue, he said.
The airport's master plan calls for an 800-foot extension of the main runway near Highway 1 and the installation of sophisticated all-weather landing equipment at the facility.
Gargas concedes there has been an increase in operations at the airport and the anticipated facility improvements could further increase the number of flights and lower altitude restrictions on approaches to landing.
The current evaluation is in effect until June 2002, and a reevaluation would be performed only under three conditions _ if the school district asks for one, if the deadline passes or if there are changes in siting of the planned construction.
Harkins Slough site supporters refer to the school district's severe overcrowding at two existing high schools and their contention that the area will be developed as justification for locating the high school there. Opposition to the site now focuses on concerns that the site is not suitable for a high school.
``No one was told the truth about this site,'' said Sylvia Previtali, an outspoken critic of the proposal. She points to pesticide contamination of the slough, the proximity to the county's land fill, and an unofficial dumping ground near Airport Blvd.
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