THROUGH MY EYES -- RON DAVIS

I’ve vacillated for some time over the middle school

gymnasium/auditorium issue. That’s where the Ocean View School District

contemplates building four large multipurpose buildings at four

Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley middle schools.

I’ve spoken with Ocean View Supt. James Tarwater on the subject. I’ve

reviewed a three-inch stack of correspondence, budgets and projections.

I spent over an hour at Marine View, one of the four middle schools,

reviewing its existing facilities. I walked the neighborhood. I’ve spoken

with a considerable number of the affected residents. Still I was

conflicted on the subject.

A legitimate argument can be made that given the district’s long list

of repairs already needed at these schools, the money invested in these

gymnasiums/auditoriums would be better used maintaining what the district

has, rather than building something that contributes to future

maintenance obligations.

On the other hand, after my visit with Tarwater and the school site,

I’m persuaded that these facilities are not a tribute to “Gym Tarwater,”

but very much needed by the middle schools.

What troubles me is the recent rhetoric from representatives of the

district.

A few weeks ago, Huntington Beach Councilwoman Connie Boardman

publicly asked the Huntington Beach city attorney for a legal opinion

discussing the circumstances under which the city could be involved in

the construction or use of these multipurpose buildings. This request was

in response to the concern of some of the middle school neighbors fearing

that these buildings would not only be used by the middle school

population, but other groups who might rent the facilities until as late

as 10 p.m. and on weekends.

Having spoken to a number of these citizens, their concern, and in my

judgment, appropriately so, is the noise and traffic this additional use

might create in their residential neighborhoods. All of the residents I

spoke with did not object to the construction of these

gymnasiums/auditoriums for the use of the middle school population. If

that creates additional traffic and noise, they’ll put up with that --

for the good of the school kids. What they have real reservations about

are the prospects of having various groups of kids and/or adults coming

to the gymnasiums/auditoriums, until late into the evening, and parking

in front of their homes, slamming car doors and vocally celebrating their

victories or bemoaning their losses, so that the district can pay for the

buildings. I happen to believe their concerns are legitimate and warrant

consideration. I think it is appropriate for a City Council member to ask

where the boundary line is between something which is solely a school

district concern and something which impacts the city and its citizens.

By asking the question, no one is suggesting that the city will or ought

to take action, but certainly knowing where the line is drawn is

appropriate. In response to that request, a member of the school board

and the Marine View principal spoke at the Huntington Beach City Council

meeting on March 5.

In essence, they accused the council member, and those in the

community who want to know where the line is drawn, of being anti-kids.

That kind of name calling, particularly by educators, is offensive.

The people in these neighborhoods these officials label as “anti-kids”

are the same people who put up with a small army of yellow buses belching

diesel fumes in their neighborhoods twice a day, not to mention the

noise. They put up with the parents who clog their tracts with cars

dropping off and picking up their kids. They put up with the noise of

over-energized kids walking to and from school. They put up with a lack

of parking when special conferences and programs occur. To suggest that

these people are “anti-kids” because they’re concerned about the affect

of introducing additional populations into their neighborhoods, in

addition to the middle school population, solely so that the district can

pay for or maintain these buildings, is absurd.

In my view, it is the responsibility of the district to respond to

these concerns by providing credible assurances to the neighborhoods that

this will not occur, rather than negatively labeling those who have every

right to be concerned -- that is, unless the district intends to be a bad

neighbor.

* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He

can be reached by e-mail at o7 [email protected]