Lie 49 | Proof of The Lie | Hermosa Beach, CA

Lie #49

HBCSD makes shamelessly inaccurate, misleading and incorrect statements about the district's use of the Community Center as an alternate to demolishing and rebuilding North School in the Environmental Impact Report. Part #2.

Proof of the Lie:

7. page 7-8: Alternatives to the Proposed Project:

7.3.2.3, page 7-8: Alternate 3, Alternative Locations: Alternate 3d, Community Center, page 7-8, 7-9: Conclusion, page 7-9:

(1) “The District considered the four sites listed under Alternate 3, Alternate Locations, as potential locations for the proposed new school and determined that they are infeasible for the following reasons:”

§ Alternate 3d would have substantial development constraints due to its historical designation and requirement to meet seismic standards for public school development. This is a shamelessly untrue statement.

See:

Lie #6: Misleading the public as to the condition and safety of the Community Center [or the grandfathered-in North School] for students.

Lie #8: Claiming that renovating historical schools such as Pier Avenue School or North School are very expensive and cost prohibitive.

§ The potential loss/displacement of the community center (Alternate 3d) would require the search for a replacement facility to accommodate such a community-valued resource.**

COMPETING INFORMATION:

1. HBCSD does not need a long-term solution for their temporary overcrowding problem. The Community Center would just be used until enrollment dropped back down below 1,266 students as it did in 2020.

2. The City of Hermosa Beach and HBCSD can share the Pier Avenue Community Center temporarily until enrollment declines as was projected by district consultants Decision Insite in 2016 and again in 2018, the California Department of Finance demographics 2016 and 2018, and LAUSD demographic presentations from 2012 and 2015.

3. HBCSD has valid contractual leasing rights to classrooms, office and storage space at the Community Center when HBCSD enrollment exceeds 1,266 students. There is no expiration to this provision.

4. According to the Sale and Purchase Agreement for Pier Avenue Community Center Arbitration Agreement, Article 4, item d., Hermosa residents have priority rights to use the classrooms at the Community Center.

5. Many of the classrooms rented out at the Community Center are used primarily by people who do not live in Hermosa Beach. See Arc Association for Retarded Citizens, classrooms 15, 16 and 17.

6. HBCSD can use the Community Center classrooms from 7:30am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday. The City of Hermosa Beach can use the Community Center auditorium, gymnasium, tennis courts, basketball courts and Clark Field at Pier Avenue School as joint use facilities after school and on weekends. According to Ed code the City and the District can also choose to exchange Pier Avenue School and North School. HBCSD can also choose to lend North School classrooms to the city while the district uses the Community Center until enrollment declines below 1,266 students.

7. HBCSD and the City of Hermosa Beach already have a Joint Use Agreement since 2008.

"City and District have previously maintained a cooperative working agreement which has shown that the Joint Use of City/District facilities provides the community with educational, recreational and athletic opportunities at a lower cost than if provided separately; and..."

"The further cooperative arrangements between the City and District, including solid waste removal, recycling, joint emergency training, after school transportation, after school day care among other joint activities provides for the optimum use of public funds; and..."

8. In July 2014 the City of Hermosa Beach leased out three classrooms at South Park to HBCSD for district offices.

a. The cost to HBCSD to lease three classrooms from the city was set at $1/year.

b. Four classrooms at South Park had only been used by the city and HBCSD in the afternoon for after school childcare. Therefore, the four classrooms were empty during the morning hours.

c. The city decided to move the afternoon childcare to View School reportedly saving the city $40k in busing costs.

d. The city and the school district could have decided to keep students at View School for afterschool childcare long ago which would have saved taxpayers 40k/year.

e. The city could move any programs offered at the Community Center to South Park and allow the district to use classrooms at the Community Center.

9. Email from Hermosa Mayor Michael DiVirgillio to resident Miyo Prassas dated July 19, 2014 regarding district use of classrooms at the Community Center.

“The city is not aware of any prohibition that would prevent us [the city] from entertaining requests about the Community Center from the District, or from any entity for that matter. However, as you saw during our most recent joint meeting, neither the City nor the District are interested in considering the Community Center [as a lower cost alternative for taxpayers AND immediate relief for HBCSD students and staff].”

10. Email from Hermosa resident Julie Nunis to Elaine Doerfling regarding empty classrooms during the daytime at the Community Center dated February 10, 2015.

“Please do move forward with considering existing buildings to alleviate overcrowding. A few things to think about:"

-"Population ebbs and flows, using existing buildings could save the city money and construction headache if/when our beach population ebbs."

-"I have worked at both the theater in the Community Center and can attest to empty classrooms during the daytime, they could be used for classes."

-"We have many unused spaces that could be used for extended classes for the middle schoolers”…

11. Letter to the Editor by former city councilmember George Barks, April 5, 2018 – Reopening Pier Ave. School (former City Council member 1974-1978 and signer on the Agreement for the Sale and Purchase of Pier Avenue School in 1978), Letters to the Editor, The Beach Reporter.

“As a homeowner, business owner, graduate of the Hermosa School system and a former city councilmember and mayor of Hermosa Beach, I have first-hand knowledge of the great schools we have in Hermosa Beach.” …

“As a graduate of Pier Avenue School, my memories of middle school in addition to excellent academics included a gymnasium, baseball stadium, and an auditorium for school assemblies, plays and graduations. These facilities were all shared with the community outside of school hours for more than 50 years.”

“To set the record straight, as a former city councilmember during the time of the sale of the Pier Avenue School to the City, I can attest first- hand that when this issue came before the council, we absolutely guaranteed that the students could return to use the school if needed in the future. A simple lease-back option was included within the contract between the district and the city.”

“This entire matter of current overcrowding could be quickly resolved by City Council member honoring the contractual agreement between the city and school district to allow the 7-8grade students use of the classrooms at Pier Avenue School while construction at View and Valley Schools takes place over the next few years.”

(2) § Alternates 3c and 3d are on Pacific Coast Highway, which is a major arterial and presents traffic, noise and safety concerns for school operation.

COMPETING INFORMATION:

1. According HBCSD attorney Terry Tao slide presentation at the May 31, 2016 Joint City and HBCSD meeting (time stamp 02:13:23), the CDE Title 5 requirement for NEW campuses street vehicle emission is less than 100,000 vehicles average daily traffic. The average daily traffic on PCH at Pier was 50,000 vehicles in 2016. (https://dot.ca.gov/programs/traffic-operations/census/traffic-volumes/2017/route-1)

2. There are many Hermosa families with children already living alongside Pacific Coast Highway. The families living near PCH do not seem to have a problem with exposing their children to the vehicle emissions produced on PCH.

3. There are crossing guards already stationed before and after school at the major intersections at PCH and surrounding streets. The presence of crossing guards mitigates any safety concerns surrounding students’ travel to and from the Community Center.

4. The streets surrounding North School are very narrow and the area is densely built. The narrow streets make passing vehicles which are stopped to pick up or drop off students difficult and dangerous. There are also multiple driveways and areas that do not have sidewalks in the surrounding neighborhood making travel to and from North School more dangerous.

5. Lastly, North School is being used as a commuter school, meaning 3rd and 4th grade students from all over Hermosa Beach must travel (often times by car) somewhat far distances to North School causing dangerous circumstances

(3) § “The sale of the North School site would not result in an equitable return for the District due to redevelopment limitations from the OS zone and Naylor Act, and the District would not have adequate funds to purchase new property.”

§ “None of the sites represent a significant improvement over the North School site.”

COMPETING INFORMATION:

1. This is another shamelessly inaccurate statement.

See Lie #58: HBCSD provided false information in the Environmental Impact Report regarding the CDE Naylor Act regulations as it applies to North School.

2. This statement ALSO ignores the fact that HBCSD demographics did NOT support the need for another campus, especially since HBCSD also had plans to expand View School.

3. North School should be considered a historic school and an iconic community asset.

4. North School is located in the far-northwest corner of Hermosa Beach. It is surrounded by narrow residential streets in an exceedingly densely built residential neighborhood. North School is being developed as a commuter school, not a neighborhood walking school. It is only 2.35 acres for 510 students or 27% of the CDE recommended size for a elementary school for 425 students.

5. Demolishing and rebuilding North School was estimated to cost $29M, while HBCSD using their contractual rights for classrooms at the Community Center would be significantly less expensive for taxpayers, while still allowing HBCSD to modernize North School.

6. Using the Community Center for students would immediately reduce overcrowding versus waiting five years to rebuild North School.

7. The Community Center is NOT located in the Coastal Zone, therefore renovating it for students would not require Coastal Commission permission.

8. Renovating the Community Center for students while keeping the same campus footprint would not require an extensive Environmental Impact Report. The district could submit a relatively quick and inexpensive Negative Declaration of its impacts versus time consuming and expensive EIR.

(4) § “Development of a school at any of the locations could potentially result in greater environmental impacts than the proposed project. Additional technical analysis would be required to confirm.”

COMPETING INFORMATION:

1. This is an incorrect statement.

2. Using the grandfathered-in North School as is (using the existing campus with improvements) would NOT potentially result in greater environmental impacts than tearing down and rebuilding the campus.

3. Using the Community Center as is (using the same footprint) would NOT result in greater environmental impacts than tearing down and rebuilding North School.

4. The Community Center is located OUTSIDE of the Coastal Zone. If HBCSD had used the Community Center to immediately house students per HBCSD's valid contractual agreement with the City of Hermosa Beach, students and parents would not have had spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and wait 2 years for the Environmental Impact Report to be finished and receive Coastal Commission permission before demolishing and building a brand-new campus.