Chiquita Canyon School Plans OKd
Trustees in the Capistrano Unified School District recently approved final construction plans for a high school in Chiquita Canyon.
The $50-million campus, planned for 3 acres north of San Juan Capistrano and east of Mission Viejo, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2001.
“It’s what we call a 50-50 project: Half of the funding comes from the state, and the other half comes locally from Mello-Roos districts,” said David A. Doomey, the district’s assistant superintendent of facilities planning.
Capistrano officials had been blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency and Fish and Wildlife Service early this year from getting a permit to build on the environmentally sensitive site.
A revised district proposal, affecting fewer than 3 acres, received approval in March from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Even with the new high school--the fifth in the South County district-- officials said a sixth will be needed to deal with growth and crowding.
In related action last week, trustees agreed to ask the public for help in finding a name for the Chiquita Canyon high school. They suggested a historical figure or a geological area could be used. The final decision on the name will be made by the school board.
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