Pasadena : School Site to Be Sold

The Board of Education on Tuesday voted unanimously to sell a former school site to Pasadena City College for use as a new skills center.

The five-member board’s approval of the sale will allow two board members and an administrator to begin negotiating a price with the college for the property at 3081 Foothill Blvd.

The negotiating team will consist of board President Elbie J. Hickambottom, board member Wilbert L. Smith and Nitra Brazile, assistant superintendent for business services.

Hickambottom said the district has appraised the former Foothill Continuation School site at $4.5 million to $5.5 million. “$5 million would be a fair price,” he said.

However, college officials say they appraised the property at $4.2 million. The sale must be completed by May because the state money the college is planning to use will no longer be available after that time.

Hickambottom said the skills center would take two years to complete and that during that period the existing skills center would continue to operate at a former district middle school on South Oak Knoll Avenue.

In other matters, Supt. Vera Vignes introduced two newly appointed administrators. Marietta S. Palmer, a 27-year Long Beach Unified School District employee who rose to assistant superintendent there, was named as assistant superintendent for human services.

Blair High School Principal J. David Banis was named as director of secondary education. Banis has been principal at Blair for seven years.