District Officials Propose New Site for Middle School

It’s Round 2 in the fight over where to locate the new Manhattan Beach Middle School and the school district is shifting its position--by about 250 feet.

Under the latest plan, the district is proposing to locate the building 250 feet to the south and putting basketball and tennis courts farther from residents, who believe a new middle school will increase traffic and noise.

But the middle school will still be built next to Polliwog Park, where the current headquarters of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District is located.

Members of the La Marina Neighborhood Assn., a group of 40 park neighbors, are afraid that the 1,200-student middle school, scheduled to open in September 1998, will cause traffic jams on Redondo Avenue, where the entrance to the school will be placed.

They have hired a law firm and are ready to challenge the school’s construction if it adds too much noise, pollution and traffic.

“This new proposal does address the noise issue,” said Don Harling, president of the neighborhood association. “It will be noisier than it is now, but not as noisy as the original plan.”

The association, however, would like the school entrance moved to Manhattan Beach Boulevard.

One problem with the new school location plan is that it would eliminate a lighted field in the park that is used for soccer and Little League. Gerald Davis, school district superintendent, said he will meet with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Little League to find out a solution.