ORANGE : Neighbors Object to Offices at School Site

Residents who live near the former Katella Elementary School don’t want the Orange Unified School District office as a neighbor.

Last year, the district offices on Glassell Street in downtown Orange were deemed uninhabitable because they do not meet the state’s earthquake safety standards. District officials determined that Katella Elementary, which closed in 1983 because of declining enrollment, would be a perfect new home for the district education center.

But at a special forum at the school Monday night, about a dozen neighbors of the former school loudly objected to moving the district offices to their back yard.

The neighbors said they were concerned that the 130 people working at the district office would worsen traffic problems on already congested streets.

“Katella (Avenue) has become a major racetrack,” said Trudy Hoyle, who lives one house from the school. “I was nearly hit just last Thursday.”

Some neighbors suggested reopening Katella as an elementary school. When Katella closed, many students were sent to Villa Park Elementary, and parents said they would prefer that their children attend a neighborhood school.

About 44% of the students at Villa Park Elementary are Orange residents, according to district records, but there are not enough students near Katella Elementary to warrant reopening the school.

The district has no deadline for moving its offices, but officials had hoped to change sites during the relatively quiet summer months, said Frank Remkiewicz, director of planning.

Residents said officials had given them little notice that the matter needed to be resolved so quickly, and suggested that the district consider other sites.

Richard L. Donoghue, assistant superintendent for business services, told the crowd of about 70 that moving the district offices to Katella was “the most cost-effective, efficient and in the long run, best use for this facility.”

The move and improvements are estimated to cost from $250,000 to $400,000, Donoghue said. By comparison, a district study several years ago determined that a move to Peralta Jr. High, which is also vacant, would require $2.2 million in improvements.

If Katella Elementary is selected, no changes will be made to the building’s facade, and construction inside would be minimal so that the site could be easily converted back into a school, Donoghue said.

The school board is scheduled to consider the matter at its regular board meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the district offices, 370 N. Glassell St.