HBCSD Corruption

Proof of the lie:

NOTE: Rebuilding North School cost $29M and took from 2017 to 2021 (approximately four years) to accomplish.

(1) Newport Elementary School, Newport Beach, CA. (Newport Mesa Unified Schol District) Originally built in 1894.  Replaced by brick buildings and a bell tower which had collapsed during the Long Beach Earthquake of March 1933.  Reconstructed in 1936.  Completely renovated in 2001 for $4.1M (hard costs).  (TL-2001 Newport Elem School $4.1M)  Still in use today.  (TL-2001 Newport Elem photos)  Administration offices have wood floors and wall murals that date back to FDR’s New Deal programs during the Great Depression.

(2) Richmond Street School, El Segundo, CA.  (El Segundo Unified School District)  Destroyed in the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake.  Rebuilt in 1936 by the Public Works Administration (WPA) one of FDR’s New Deal programs during the Great Depression.  Completely renovated in 2002 for $5.3M.  (TL-2016 Richmond St School $5.3M)  Still in use today.  (TL-2016 Photos Richmond St School)

(3) Policies and Provisions for the Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings for Public School Use, Appendix M, Division of State Architects (TL-Historic Bldgs Rehab app M)

“Why use the CHBC (California Historic Building Code)? Buildings

and structures identified to contribute to the culture, community, or

heritage of a locality – and qualified historical – are recognized by

the state as being eligible for special consideration to retain those

attributes that are historic during rehabilitation or subsequent change

of use.  The DSA recognizes that strict use of the regular [building]

code may create difficulties where rehabilitation attempts to retain

the historic characteristics of a building or structure.  The CHBC

provides alternatives that 1) allow most of the historic characteristics

to be retained while 2) achieving the performance objectives of the

regular code.”

(4) Email from Debi Howell-Ardila to the May 31, 2016 Joint City and School District meeting.   Debi Howell-Ardila is Senior Architectural Historian/Historic Preservation Specialist with SWCA Environmental Consultants and vice chair of the Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) of South Pasadena.  (TL-2016May31 email architectural historian)

“In my opinion, and based on the dozens of schools I’ve surveyed

throughout SoCal, North Elementary appears eligible for the City of

Hermosa Beach Register under local criteria A (“It exemplifies or

reflects special elements of the city’s cultural, social, economic,

political, aesthetic, engineering, or architectural history”) C (“It

embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method

of construction”), and D (“It is representative of the notable work of a

builder, designer or architect,” in this case, renowned architects

Samuel Lunden and Marsh, Smith and Powell).

“In terms of the California Register, it appears eligible under

Criteria 1, as a highly representative example of a 1930’s school, as well

as Criteria 3, as an outstanding example of WPA-era Art Deco

institutional building.”

(5) Cost to renovate North School by independent builders Juge Construction $6.2M.  Juge Construction also did the renovations at Valley School in the 1980s.  (TL-2017 Juge NS reno estimate).  Not only was Juge Construction approximately ¼ the cost of demolishing and rebuilding North School, but the district’s other estimates to renovate/modernize North School were also approximately ½ to 1/3 the cost of demolishing and rebuilding North School.  (TL-2013Feb06 BCA NS clean estimates), (TL-2014 FMP NS reno cost)

(6) The cost to demolish and rebuild North School would also entail:

…”Project implementation would disturb the entire site and

require the demolition and removal of all improvements.

Approximately 28,900 square feet of existing structures would be

demolished, and 57,560 square feet of asphalt and concrete paving

would be removed. The project would require approximately 1,000

cubic yards of soil import to support the extension of the developed

footprint over the vegetated slope.”  The Environmental Impact

Report (2017-2018): Section 4 Project Description: 4.2.6 Construction

[of North School], page 4-12. (TL-2018 EIR Construction NS)