MOORPARK : City Seeks Meeting Over School Site

The Moorpark City Council has called for a joint meeting with the school board to discuss buying part of the former Moorpark Memorial High School site in hopes of ending a two-year stalemate over the site’s price and future use.

At its meeting Wednesday night, the council authorized Mayor Bernardo Perez to send a letter to school board President Patty Waters requesting that a meeting be set up.

Waters could not be reached for comment Thursday. But school board members Sam Nainoa and Pam Castro said they favored a joint meeting.

The city has offered to buy the gymnasium, outdoor tennis courts and a 10.6-acre athletic field, which it hopes to use as a downtown park. But officials said the city cannot afford and is not interested in buying classrooms and any remaining property on the 26-acre site.

The value of the entire property is also the subject of debate. The district has had it appraised at about $7.5 million, while a city consultant has estimated it is worth about $4.2 million.

The property, which is being used as a continuation high school, has also been the subject of a two-year legal battle between the district and the city over how it should be developed.

The district wants high-density development approved to generate more revenue, while the city contends that the downtown area cannot handle a large increase in traffic.