Supporters of Measure “J” celebrated an important victory Tuesday night after Hermosa Beach voters soundly passed the $13.6 million school bond measure aimed at renovating existing school facilities, building new classrooms and a gym. The bond funds, comprising an estimated 85 percent of improvement projects, will upgrade some buildings dating back to the 1950s.

According to the unofficial results from the Los Angeles County Recorder’s/Registrar Office, voters cast 3,464 yes votes (64.6 percent) in favor of Measure “J” compared to the 1,893 votes (35.3 percent) against it.

“We are all very elated the bond passed,” said Hermosa Beach Superintendent Duffy Clark. “It means we can make changes and do improvements that our kids and our community deserve. We can ensure our facilities will provide a 21st-century education for our students.”

In July, the Hermosa Beach School Board unanimously approved the bond for the Nov. 5 ballot. With the bond money, the district hopes to purchase property occupied by Adelphia Cable to construct new modernization projects outlined in a detailed construction list.

Hermosa Beach resident Shawn Moonan, who filed an argument and rebuttal against Measure “J,” said he was unhappy with the results but expected this kind of outcome.

“It’s disappointing but I anticipated those kind of results because with Proposition 39, it’s like signing a blank check, really,” he said. “I think every school bond passed and it’s unfortunate that with all of the money being spent it could have been done cheaper. The majority rules but I think it’s the tyranny of the majority and with the state in debt, I think people have no concept of the kind of burden this will place on our children.”

A 55 percent vote was needed for the passage of Measure “J.”

According to Jennifer Rosenfeld, the committee co-chair to support Measure “J,” city, county and state officials favored the measure, including Hermosa Beach City Council members Kathy Dunbabin, J.R. Reviczky and Mayor Sam Edgerton, state Assemblyman George Nakano, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Congresswoman Jane Harman and Sen. Debra Bowen.

“I’m very pleased that the people of Hermosa Beach chose to invest in our schools,” said Rosenfeld. “The voters did the right thing for our children and our community, and it’s nice to see that they made this choice so emphatically. Now it goes back to the School District and I’m so thankful the campaign committee worked so hard to get the message out.”

The $13.6 million will provide the School District with added funds to negotiate with Adelphia for property acquisition. The district will allocate $1.6 million from the bond and could receive $1.7 million from the California government from a $13.5 billion statewide bond, which would give it more than $3 million to possibly buy the 24,000-square-foot site. In the absence of state funds, the district would then only have an estimated $1.6 million for its negotiations.

The $13.6 million bond will require taxpayers to pay an annual rate of $21 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. Recent bonds passed in Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Redondo Beach are charging residents approximately $45 (two bonds passed in 1995 and 2000), $58 (two bonds passed in 1997 and 2001) and $13, respectively, per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

A new school gym will cost the district about $2.2 million while new classrooms will be an estimated $1.9 million and the cost to modernize older classrooms would follow at slightly more than $1 million.

About $3.5 million will pay for numerous improvements to Valley’s electrical, plumbing, air conditioning and heating systems, restrooms and other student facilities, including technology labs.

Approximately $3.4 million will go to Hermosa View School for various modernization projects including those on restrooms, food service areas and older classrooms; and the upgrading and replacement of plumbing and electrical systems.

The district will now receive $9.6 million up front and is scheduled to receive $1.9 million in 2008 and $2.1 million in 2013.