OXNARD : Flynn Urges County to Purchase Campus

Ventura County Supervisor John K. Flynn wants the county to look into buying the old Oxnard High School campus to create a larger buffer zone around Oxnard Airport, officials said Wednesday.

Flynn will ask supervisors to allow the county’s airport authority to open discussions and begin preliminary negotiations with the Oxnard Union High School District and the city of Oxnard regarding the acquisition of the campus on 5th Street, said Flynn aide Catherine Serros.

The proposal will be discussed at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting Tuesday, she said.

Flynn said acquisition of the 33-acre campus would provide a larger clearance zone around Oxnard Airport, making it safer for aviators and residents.

If the proposal is approved, the administrator of the Department of Airports would also study the steps involved in buying the property, including determining a purchase price and applying for state and federal grants to cover the purchase cost.

In a letter to supervisors, Flynn said the Federal Aviation Administration could pay up to 90% of the sale price, with the state kicking in a low-cost loan for the remaining 10%.

The 5th Street campus is scheduled to close as a school in late summer. Starting in the fall, students will attend the new Oxnard High campus now under construction on Gonzales Road.

The old school could be up for sale by the end of this year, said Bill Studt, superintendent of the Oxnard high school district. Once the district vacates the property, ownership of it reverts to the state and all proceeds of a sale will go to the state, he said.

District officials have agreed to help the state sell the property, Studt said. No selling price has been set and the property has not yet been appraised, he said.

Oxnard High is located approximately 1,750 feet east of the the airport landing approach. Acquisition of the property would extend the airport’s runway protection zone and increase safety, Flynn said.