Residents want permanent seating and lighting at Crescenta Valley High School
Local residents are calling on the Glendale Unified School District to use part of the remaining Measure S bond funding to add permanent seating and updated lighting at Crescenta Valley High School.
The school currently rents bleachers for graduation ceremonies. During home football games, the Falcon team travels to Glendale High School to use its football field.
The addition of new lighting and permanent bleachers could cost about $3.5 million, said Tony Barrios, Glendale Unified’s executive director of planning, development and facilities, during a study session held by the school board this week.
The meeting focused on prioritizing remaining funding from Measure S, which was approved by voters in 2011 to upgrade aging campuses and facilities.
Barrios said the district has roughly $36.2 million in unallocated funds remaining from the $270-million Measure S bond.
Among the 13 projects prioritized for consideration are lighting and permanent seating at Crescenta Valley High. However, those projects haven’t received final approval from school officials.
The 13 projects were whittled down from a “wish list,” where principals from every school provided the top five projects they would like refurbished or addressed by the district.
“LED [lighting] and bleachers would help the school with graduations and ceremonies and things of that nature,” Barrios said. “The school currently rents bleachers, which impacts their funding and this would help alleviate what we’ve heard from the community.”
The Crescenta Valley Fireworks Assn. has used the high school’s athletic field for its annual Fourth of July celebration since 2016. The school’s synthetic field, however, restricts the type of chairs that can be placed on it.
The only chairs allowed are beach chairs with round bottoms. Attendees are also encouraged to bring beach towels and pillows.
Steve Pierce, an association member, delivered a letter signed by the president of the fireworks association. Pierce said it’s difficult for the elderly to sit on the grass without chairs and added installing permanent seating would be helpful.
Calin Kaipo Chock, president of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce, also spoke in support of the new additions at the high school.
“The football team has been traveling for home games, and I’m kind of shocked,” Chock said, adding that it’s taking away revenue from the Crescenta Valley community.
Throughout the hour-and-a-half study session, board President Nayiri Nahabedian asked district staff to compile a neater list noting which projects have yet to be completed before tackling new projects for a future study session meeting.
“It would help me try and figure out how to prioritize,” she said.
Twitter: @vegapriscella
