As a way of preparing for its formal vote later this month, the Hermosa Beach School Board last Wednesday voiced its opinions on the two final sites for the construction of a gym and classrooms on Hermosa Valley’s campus. The board will make its final decision with the selection of one site at its June 30 meeting.

School officials hosted a meeting June 4 to discuss the concerns and comments with the public regarding two possible sites for the project the district will fund with Measure “J,” a $13.6 million bond.

Since the matter was not a formal item on the June 11 agenda, the School Board came to a general consensus on the matter.

“The consensus, since we couldn’t take a vote, seemed to be alternative ‘B’,” said School Board member Lance Widman. “One factor that people mentioned about alternative ‘B’ is that it integrates the gym as a part of the instructional program of the middle school that will be primarily, not entirely, using it,”

Option “B” would be to place both the gym and the classrooms in the area near the southwest corner of the campus. The classrooms would cut into the hill that lines the western portion of the campus. Residents living in the immediate area on Valley Park Drive voiced concerns about parking, noise, traffic and congestion that would most likely impact their neighborhoods.

“This option has less of an impact on usable open space,” added Widman. “I think if people could see what the gym looked like in the front of the school they would be surprised with the bulk.”

Many people living in the immediate area favored scenario “A” that would have put the gym on the southern half of the school’s main parking lot located along Valley Drive. It would require the replacement of lost parking space by building more on the northern portion of the school field. Eight additional classrooms would sit near the southwest corner of campus. Designs for this plan are limited since a large storm drain and sewer lines sit in the proposed area.

Through the input of school administrators and residents, architects were able to narrow down six alternatives to two possibilities. The scenarios were presented by architects from the firm Dougherty & Dougherty.

The district-hired construction firm is now in the process of placing poles in the school parking lot to give both the public and school officials an idea of the gym’s size and bulk if it were built at the front of the school.

“I think the different board members were able to express their different views and I’m still leaving my vote open at this time,” said board member Cathy McCurdy. “I have a sense of what I think is best, but I want to wait and see what the front of the school looks like with these temporary flag poles.”

The School District initially considered purchasing the land now occupied by Adelphia Communications located next door to Hermosa Valley but has since abandoned such efforts. Adelphia is currently bankrupt and acquiring the 24,000-square-foot property from the company could be too time-consuming.

The bond funds, comprising an estimated 85 percent of improvement projects, will upgrade some buildings dating back to the 1950s, but it also provided the School District with added funds (approximately $3 million) to negotiate with Adelphia for property acquisition.

A new school gym will most likely cost the district about $2.2 million while new classrooms are estimated at $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 restrooms, food service areas, older classrooms, and the upgrading and replacement of plumbing and electrical systems.

The district received $9.6 million up front. It will receive $1.9 million in 2008 and $2.1 million in 2013.