Plan may provide opportunity for groups to work together
MALIBU — The local school district tonight will choose a consultant to develop a master plan for its facilities, which may lead to a new bond measure.
Several firms have been considered by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to develop a facilities master plan for area schools. On Thursday, board of education members will weigh in on what they expect of the finalist, Fields Devereaux Architects & Engineers (FDAE), a firm staff recommends for organizing the plan and directing future school structure improvements over the next 20 years.
While assessing the district’s structural needs, the consultant will likely conduct a feasibility study to determine if bonds might be levied to support the plan’s goals, school officials said.
Consultant estimates to develop the plan ranged between $400,000 and $2 million, reflecting a “varying magnitude and interpretation of phases and tasks,” according to John Deasy, schools superintendent. FDAE’s proposal is expected to cost the district $1 million, which board members on Sept. 22 agreed would be a reasonable price for the project.
Deasy said the facilities master plan will be financed with state funds. Upon its completion, the district will know if a new bond is needed.
“The board is being presented with a recommendation for a course of action which we hope will be done in a year and lay out a 20-year plan,” Deasy said. “Whether or not there is a bond in the immediate future is not decided at all, and that won’t come for a year.”
Currently, the district has $88 million in bond indebtedness, according to Karen Garot, executive assistant to the superintendent. For every $100,000 in assessed property value within the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, property owners pay $30 per year to support the district’s bonds, Garot said.
Santa Monica property owners also pay two parcel taxes which support the school district, Garot said. Since 2000, property owners began being charged $98 for each parcel of land they own, a tax which will last until 2010. Since 2003, property owners started to be charged $225 a year for each parcel of land. That tax will last until 2009.
Emily Bloomfield, board of education president, said she wants the consultant to ensure various groups within the community that they have an opportunity to voice their opinions during the planning process.
“I believe there will be a strong expectation of community outreach to determine what different constituencies would like to see done in a systematic fashion,” Bloomfield said.
Bloomfield said FDAE’s $1 million price range gives the district flexibility in how it approaches the plan.
“We don’t necessarily have to take the entire package that’s offered to us,” Bloomfield said. “Some of the work may be done in-house.”
Despite the substantial upgrades from previous bond measures, there remain areas where facilities could be improved in order for the district to attain its educational vision, suggesting the need for a “facilities bond measure for a yet-to-be-determined amount in the very near future,” according to the staff report.
The facilities master plan would take into account the state of current buildings, their use, any new buildings or structures that may be needed, as well as potential joint-use agreements with the city of Santa Monica and Santa Monica College, according to staff. The district will ask the consultant to pay special attention to day care and parking needs, public access issues, and a building for recreation and information management systems, according to staff.
School board member Oscar de la Torre said the development of the facilities master plan presents new opportunities for groups in Santa Monica to come together to make the city a better place.
“This is a chance for the city, college and school district to run parallel processes to make the best use of public space,” de la Torre said. “This is not just the opportunity to serve the community through education, but also recreation.
“What’s needed is a collective vision for providing the best public space for the citizens of Santa Monica.”
De la Torre also said facilities that may come from the master plan could be used for public safety in times of distress.
“In light of Hurricane Katrina and Santa Monica being on a fault line where a major earthquake is predicted, one of the main criteria is that we ensure the schools are retrofitted and we’re prepared for natural disaster so our schools can be used for safety shelters,” de la Torre said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 6, 2005. Read the original PDF.