ORANGE : Cost Triples for School Offices Move

Moving the Orange Unified School District offices to Katella Elementary School will cost more than three times the original estimate, a district official said last week, but the district is still planning to go ahead with the move.

District officials said they were not aware of the poor condition of their new offices. As a result, the price tag for relocating district headquarters from 370 N. Glassell St. to the former site of Katella Elementary at 1459 N. Handy St. has grown from an estimated $400,000 to $1.2 million, said Joyce Capelle, the district’s fiscal services director.

The district offices must be moved because the Glassell Street headquarters do not meet earthquake safety standards.

The Katella site, which closed in 1983 because of declining enrollment, was chosen last summer over the objections of some district residents. Neighbors at several community meetings requested that the elementary school be reopened and not used for office space.

At that time, business services director Richard L. Donoghue said Katella provided the most cost-effective alternative for the district and estimated that moving there would cost between $250,000 and $400,000.

Another site under consideration, Peralta Junior High, would require $2.2 million, he said.

But officials misjudged the condition of the former elementary school and underestimated the work that needed to be done before the structure could be inhabited again, Capelle said.

The Katella “property had been allowed to run down to the point where we couldn’t have opened it as a school if we wanted to,” she said.

Now, Capelle estimates that it will cost $473,164 to move to Katella. In addition, roof and asphalt repairs and electrical retrofitting for computers will cost $517,770. Asbestos removal will cost another $41,403, and the purchase of modular partitions for offices will cost $175,000, Capelle said.

The district is expected to move in June. Funds have already been set aside to cover the costs. Once repairs are made, the buildings will be ready to house a school or offices, Capelle said.