Wiseburn School District Board of Trustees
13530 Aviation Boulevard
Hawthorne, CA 90250
RE: Comments on Dana and Cabrillo Rebuilding Project
Dear President Meath and Members of the Wiseburn School Board:
The Hollyglen Homeowners Association (HHA) School Rebuilding Committee has been discussing the Dana and Cabrillo School rebuilding project and options, and we submit the following comments and recommendations for the School Board's consideration.
The community strongly prefers the following footprints/orientations for the new Dana and Cabrillo schools:
These footprints keep the schools in basically the same locations as they currently are, and retain as much geographical separation between the schools (Burnett, Dana, and Cabrillo) as possible. Each school creates traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up times. Maintaining geographical separation is important to avoid worsening traffic congestion in the neighborhood. Traffic congestion and frustrated drivers create safety issues for children and residents and increase the risk of accidents.
It seems that building the new schools in the same vicinity as the old schools would also save money, as the utilities / infrastructure are already in place, and it would avoid the cost of replacing or relocating the lighting for the Dana fields.
The community approved Measure E to provide newer/better facilities for the children, not to relocate the schools and negatively impact the neighborhood. The majority of the community is happy with the current school locations and orientations; however there is room for improvement in managing school traffic.
Safety:
For safety reasons, we recommend the entrance for the new Cabrillo be on 135th St., with adequate off-street parking and a long driveway for "valet" drop-off and pick-up. 135th is a four lane street plus a parking lane, and is wide enough to allow through traffic to continue to flow during school drop-off and pick-up times. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of parents drive their kids to and from school, resulting in several hundred cars converging on the school on days when all grades let out at the same time. The Board also needs to take into consideration the increase in school traffic due to increasing the capacity (number of students) attending the schools. 135th St. is the logical choice for handling the large quantity of cars coming to and from the school on a daily basis.
Relocating the school entrance to 134th St. is an unacceptable alternative, as it would redirect all the school traffic onto narrow (30' wide) residential streets. There are 5 uncontrolled intersections bordering Cabrillo school, and directing hundreds of cars through these intersections would increase the risk of accidents, and create safety issues for children crossing streets without any crossing guards. This traffic would also pose a hazard for Burnett and Dana students walking or riding their bikes home through this area. In addition, there are blind driveways on 134th St. where residents cannot see children walking on the sidewalk when backing out of their driveway.
We have observed the Anza valet drop-off and pick-up system, and feel it would not work on 134th St. Residents adjacent to Anza complain about the school traffic congestion on their streets. Since 134th St. is 6' narrower than the streets around Anza, school traffic congestion would be even more pronounced. Many residents on 134th St., Glasgow and Isis Ave whose homes border the school would have their driveways blocked by cars waiting in line for the valet, or by the line of cars exiting the neighborhood after picking up children. The current pick-up traffic on 134th St. on Wednesdays at 2:00pm (which is only one grade) already creates gridlock on 134th St. We feel locating the school entrance on 134th St. would create too many traffic and safety issues, even with an Anza-type valet system in place.
Lastly, parents have expressed concern about having the playfields exposed to 135th, as passers-by could view the children outside playing, and it would be more difficult for neighbors to spot people who don't belong (i.e., predators). We feel it's better to have the front of the school face 135th and the fields facing 134th St., to provide a more peaceful environment for the children while playing outside (less traffic noise), and increase the likelihood that someone who doesn't belong will be seen by the neighbors (Neighborhood Watch). In addition, balls occasionally go over the school fence, and a ball landing on a quiet residential street is less of a traffic hazard than a ball landing on a busy street such as 135th or Aviation.
Construction Sequencing / Interim Housing:
The “Big Bold Baby Blue” plan described in the School District's October 2002 “Prop W and Measure E Update” called for simultaneous construction of Dana and Cabrillo schools, to benefit from efficiency-of-scale and shorter construction period cost savings. The lower construction costs from simultaneous construction was expected to enable the District to construct both schools within budget.
The estimate presented in 2002 was that both schools could be built with a budget slightly over $30 million. Could you please explain the increase in the estimate from slightly over $30 million to $39 million? We'd also like to know what cost savings were lost when the School Board decided to go with sequential vs simultaneous construction of Dana and Cabrillo Schools, and the reasoning behind this change of plans.
We support relocation of the Cabrillo students during construction, either into the old Dana school (if Dana is rebuilt first as recently proposed), or into the Sepulveda School campus owned by the District (currently leased out to AYSO). Relocating the students will allow the new Cabrillo school to be built in the preferred orientation adjacent to 135th Street. This will also provide a quieter environment for the students during construction. (Note: students will need to be relocated whether Cabrillo is rebuilt or refurbished.)
Conclusion: We thank you for the opportunity to provide comments and input into the pending decisions on construction of the schools within our Hollyglen community. We appreciate the School Board listening to community input, since we will all be living with these decisions for the next 50+ years.
We look forward to meeting with the School Board to discuss these issues further. Please contact me to schedule a meeting.
Sincerely,
Cindy Parsons
Chair, HHA Wiseburn School Rebuilding Committee
cc: Dr. Don Brann, Wiseburn School District Superintendent
Mayor Larry Guidi and members of the Hawthorne City Council
Mr. Michael Goodsen, City of Hawthorne Planning Department
Ms. Helen Ramirez, City of Hawthorne Planning Department
Wiseburn School District Board of Trustees
13530 Aviation Boulevard
Hawthorne, CA 90250
Dear President Meath and Members of the Wiseburn School Board:
The Hollyglen Homeowners Association (HHA) School Rebuilding Committee has been discussing the Dana and Cabrillo School rebuilding project and options, and we submit the following comments and recommendations for the School Board's consideration.
Footprints:
The community strongly prefers the following footprints/orientations for the new Dana and Cabrillo schools:
These footprints keep the schools in basically the same locations as they currently are, and retain as much geographical separation between the schools (Burnett, Dana, and Cabrillo) as possible. Each school creates traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up times. Maintaining geographical separation is important to avoid worsening traffic congestion in the neighborhood. Traffic congestion and frustrated drivers create safety issues for children and residents and increase the risk of accidents.
It seems that building the new schools in the same vicinity as the old schools would also save money, as the utilities / infrastructure are already in place, and it would avoid the cost of replacing or relocating the lighting for the Dana fields.
The community approved Measure E to provide newer/better facilities for the children, not to relocate the schools and negatively impact the neighborhood. The majority of the community is happy with the current school locations and orientations; however there is room for improvement in managing school traffic.
Safety:
For safety reasons, we recommend the entrance for the new Cabrillo be on 135th St., with adequate off-street parking and a long driveway for "valet" drop-off and pick-up. 135th is a four lane street plus a parking lane, and is wide enough to allow through traffic to continue to flow during school drop-off and pick-up times. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of parents drive their kids to and from school, resulting in several hundred cars converging on the school on days when all grades let out at the same time. The Board also needs to take into consideration the increase in school traffic due to increasing the capacity (number of students) attending the schools. 135th St. is the logical choice for handling the large quantity of cars coming to and from the school on a daily basis.
Relocating the school entrance to 134th St. is an unacceptable alternative, as it would redirect all the school traffic onto narrow (30' wide) residential streets. There are 5 uncontrolled intersections bordering Cabrillo school, and directing hundreds of cars through these intersections would increase the risk of accidents, and create safety issues for children crossing streets without any crossing guards. This traffic would also pose a hazard for Burnett and Dana students walking or riding their bikes home through this area. In addition, there are blind driveways on 134th St. where residents cannot see children walking on the sidewalk when backing out of their driveway.
We have observed the Anza valet drop-off and pick-up system, and feel it would not work on 134th St. Residents adjacent to Anza complain about the school traffic congestion on their streets. Since 134th St. is 6' narrower than the streets around Anza, school traffic congestion would be even more pronounced. Many residents on 134th St., Glasgow and Isis Ave whose homes border the school would have their driveways blocked by cars waiting in line for the valet, or by the line of cars exiting the neighborhood after picking up children. The current pick-up traffic on 134th St. on Wednesdays at 2:00pm (which is only one grade) already creates gridlock on 134th St. We feel locating the school entrance on 134th St. would create too many traffic and safety issues, even with an Anza-type valet system in place.
Lastly, parents have expressed concern about having the playfields exposed to 135th, as passers-by could view the children outside playing, and it would be more difficult for neighbors to spot people who don't belong (i.e., predators). We feel it's better to have the front of the school face 135th and the fields facing 134th St., to provide a more peaceful environment for the children while playing outside (less traffic noise), and increase the likelihood that someone who doesn't belong will be seen by the neighbors (Neighborhood Watch). In addition, balls occasionally go over the school fence, and a ball landing on a quiet residential street is less of a traffic hazard than a ball landing on a busy street such as 135th or Aviation.
Construction Sequencing / Interim Housing:
The “Big Bold Baby Blue” plan described in the School District's October 2002 “Prop W and Measure E Update” called for simultaneous construction of Dana and Cabrillo schools, to benefit from efficiency-of-scale and shorter construction period cost savings. The lower construction costs from simultaneous construction was expected to enable the District to construct both schools within budget.
The estimate presented in 2002 was that both schools could be built with a budget slightly over $30 million. Could you please explain the increase in the estimate from slightly over $30 million to $39 million? We'd also like to know what cost savings were lost when the School Board decided to go with sequential vs simultaneous construction of Dana and Cabrillo Schools, and the reasoning behind this change of plans.
We support relocation of the Cabrillo students during construction, either into the old Dana school (if Dana is rebuilt first as recently proposed), or into the Sepulveda School campus owned by the District (currently leased out to AYSO). Relocating the students will allow the new Cabrillo school to be built in the preferred orientation adjacent to 135th Street. This will also provide a quieter environment for the students during construction. (Note: students will need to be relocated whether Cabrillo is rebuilt or refurbished.)
Conclusion:
We thank you for the opportunity to provide comments and input into the pending decisions on construction of the schools within our Hollyglen community. We appreciate the School Board listening to community input, since we will all be living with these decisions for the next 50+ years.
We look forward to meeting with the School Board to discuss these issues further. Please contact me to schedule a meeting.
Sincerely,
Cindy Parsons
Chair, HHA Wiseburn School Rebuilding Committee
cc: Dr. Don Brann, Wiseburn School District Superintendent
Mayor Larry Guidi and members of the Hawthorne City Council
Mr. Michael Goodsen, City of Hawthorne Planning Department
Ms. Helen Ramirez, City of Hawthorne Planning Department
Wiseburn School District Board of Trustees
13530 Aviation Boulevard
Hawthorne, CA 90250
RE: Comments on Dana and Cabrillo Rebuilding Project
Dear President Meath and Members of the Wiseburn School Board:
The Hollyglen Homeowners Association (HHA) School Rebuilding Committee has been discussing the Dana and Cabrillo School rebuilding project and options, and we submit the following comments and recommendations for the School Board's consideration.
Footprints:
The community strongly prefers the following footprints/orientations for the new Dana and Cabrillo schools:
. These footprints keep the schools in basically the same locations as they currently are, and retain as much geographical separation between the schools (Burnett, Dana, and Cabrillo) as possible. Each school creates traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up times. Maintaining geographical separation is important to avoid worsening traffic congestion in the neighborhood. Traffic congestion and frustrated drivers create safety issues for children and residents and increase the risk of accidents.
It seems that building the new schools in the same vicinity as the old schools would also save money, as the utilities / infrastructure are already in place, and it would avoid the cost of replacing or relocating the lighting for the Dana fields. The community approved Measure E to provide newer/better facilities for the children, not to relocate the schools and negatively impact the neighborhood. The majority of the community is happy with the current school locations and orientations; however there is room for improvement in managing school traffic.
Safety:
For safety reasons, we recommend the entrance for the new Cabrillo be on 135th St., with adequate off-street parking and a long driveway for "valet" drop-off and pick-up. 135th is a four lane street plus a parking lane, and is wide enough to allow through traffic to continue to flow during school drop-off and pick-up times. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of parents drive their kids to and from school, resulting in several hundred cars converging on the school on days when all grades let out at the same time. The Board also needs to take into consideration the increase in school traffic due to increasing the capacity (number of students) attending the schools. 135th St. is the logical choice for handling the large quantity of cars coming to and from the school on a daily basis.
Relocating the school entrance to 134th St. is an unacceptable alternative, as it would redirect all the school traffic onto narrow (30' wide) residential streets. There are 5 uncontrolled intersections bordering Cabrillo school, and directing hundreds of cars through these intersections would increase the risk of accidents, and create safety issues for children crossing streets without any crossing guards. This traffic would also pose a hazard for Burnett and Dana students walking or riding their bikes home through this area. In addition, there are blind driveways on 134th St. where residents cannot see children walking on the sidewalk when backing out of their driveway.
We have observed the Anza valet drop-off and pick-up system, and feel it would not work on 134th St. Residents adjacent to Anza complain about the school traffic congestion on their streets. Since 134th St. is 6' narrower than the streets around Anza, school traffic congestion would be even more pronounced. Many residents on 134th St., Glasgow and Isis Ave whose homes border the school would have their driveways blocked by cars waiting in line for the valet, or by the line of cars exiting the neighborhood after picking up children. The current pick-up traffic on 134th St. on Wednesdays at 2:00pm (which is only one grade) already creates gridlock on 134th St. We feel locating the school entrance on 134th St. would create too many traffic and safety issues, even with an Anza-type valet system in place.
Lastly, parents have expressed concern about having the playfields exposed to 135th, as passers-by could view the children outside playing, and it would be more difficult for neighbors to spot people who don't belong (i.e., predators). We feel it's better to have the front of the school face 135th and the fields facing 134th St., to provide a more peaceful environment for the children while playing outside (less traffic noise), and increase the likelihood that someone who doesn't belong will be seen by the neighbors (Neighborhood Watch). In addition, balls occasionally go over the school fence, and a ball landing on a quiet residential street is less of a traffic hazard than a ball landing on a busy street such as 135th or Aviation.
Construction Sequencing / Interim Housing:
The “Big Bold Baby Blue” plan described in the School District's October 2002 “Prop W and Measure E Update” called for simultaneous construction of Dana and Cabrillo schools, to benefit from efficiency-of-scale and shorter construction period cost savings. The lower construction costs from simultaneous construction was expected to enable the District to construct both schools within budget.
The estimate presented in 2002 was that both schools could be built with a budget slightly over $30 million. Could you please explain the increase in the estimate from slightly over $30 million to $39 million? We'd also like to know what cost savings were lost when the School Board decided to go with sequential vs simultaneous construction of Dana and Cabrillo Schools, and the reasoning behind this change of plans.
We support relocation of the Cabrillo students during construction, either into the old Dana school (if Dana is rebuilt first as recently proposed), or into the Sepulveda School campus owned by the District (currently leased out to AYSO). Relocating the students will allow the new Cabrillo school to be built in the preferred orientation adjacent to 135th Street. This will also provide a quieter environment for the students during construction. (Note: students will need to be relocated whether Cabrillo is rebuilt or refurbished.)
Conclusion:
We thank you for the opportunity to provide comments and input into the pending decisions on construction of the schools within our Hollyglen community. We appreciate the School Board listening to community input, since we will all be living with these decisions for the next 50+ years.
We look forward to meeting with the School Board to discuss these issues further. Please contact me to schedule a meeting.
Sincerely,
Cindy Parsons
Chair, HHA Wiseburn School Rebuilding Committee
cc: Dr. Don Brann, Wiseburn School District Superintendent
Mayor Larry Guidi and members of the Hawthorne City Council
Mr. Michael Goodsen, City of Hawthorne Planning Department
Ms. Helen Ramirez, City of Hawthorne Planning Department