Schools Holding Out for Hefty Sum in Sale of Site

Call it a case of David throwing the book at Goliath.

The Hacienda La Puente Unified School District says it won’t turn over the site of a closed school to Los Angeles County, which wants to build a regional library there, unless it receives a hefty sum in compensation.

The county has offered $20,000 and the benefits that a big new library would bring. County officials say they must reach an agreement with the district quickly in order to apply for state library bond funds by the November deadline.

The district is holding out for $287,000 in cash or services.

Both sides characterize the negotiations, which began about three years ago, as amicable.

“The board has said, ‘Yes, we’ll agree to a library, but there has to be more compensation if we are going to lock the site up on a long-term basis,’ ” said James E. Johnson, superintendent of the Hacienda La Puente district.

Johnson says the 10-acre property, formerly the Dibble School, could sell for up to $700,000 per acre. The district uses the site as an adult school and multicultural center.

County officials say the communities of Hacienda Heights and La Puente would benefit from a larger, improved library with high-tech computer stations.

“They have a small, little library now that’s quite inadequate,” said Judy Hammond, a spokeswoman for county Supervisor Pete Schabarum, who represents the area. “The community’s grown significantly, and it is in dire need of better services.”

But unless the two sides can come to terms soon, “the library will not be built in Hacienda La Puente,” Hammond said.

Plans call for the county to build its library on unused portions of the 10-acre site. The adult school and community center would remain. Once the new library opens, the county would convert the old library into a senior citizen center, Hammond said.

District officials have hired a consultant to help them assess the cost and benefits of the county’s proposal. Meanwhile, they have suggested several possibilities for indirect compensation, including:

* Expanding existing parks in Hacienda La Puente.

* Taking over maintenance and repair of two area swimming pools.

* Consolidating local elections into county general elections, which would save the school district money.

* Placing freeway billboards on school sites. The district could then lease out the billboards to private firms.

Hammond says Schabarum opposes putting billboards on school sites because they would create visual pollution.