OXNARD : Hearing to Discuss School’s Relocation

Oxnard school officials will hold a public hearing tonight to discuss the environmental effects of moving Oxnard High School about two miles from its present location.

The Oxnard Union High School District has been considering the relocation for at least two years, since state officials declared the school’s present site unsafe because of its proximity to Oxnard Airport.

The school, at 5th Street and Hobson Way, is about 1,800 feet from the airport runway.

The State Allocation Board has set aside $20 million for construction of the new school and has moved it to the top of a statewide list for funding. However, the district is still trying to acquire land for the school.

Public comment is invited at tonight’s hearing to discuss an environmental impact report on two proposed sites for the new school, both 80-acre parcels on Gonzales Road near Patterson Road.

The proposed sites have drawn opposition from some homeowners in the nearby Summerfield and River Ridge developments, who argue that a high school in the area would bring crime and traffic and encourage further development.

According to the environmental report, moving the school to either site has the potential for increasing traffic and pollution.

The district has spent more than $917,000 so far on architectural plans and other costs associated with moving the 59-year-old school.

At the request of county Supt. James F. Cowan, state officials revisited the site about six months ago and have recommended moving the county-run Nueva Vida School for special education students to the new site along with Oxnard High, said Bill Van Gundy, executive officer of the State Allocation Board. The Nueva Vida School is next to the Oxnard High campus.

Tonight’s hearing will begin at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Oxnard Union High School District.