Environmental Study Needed for Arts School

An Orange County judge ruled Friday that the Los Alamitos Unified School District failed to follow state environmental review laws before approving construction of an $18-million complex for its Orange County High School of the Arts.

The decision by Superior Court Judge John C. Woolley means that the school district must conduct a full environmental impact report before proceeding, a review that could delay and possibly thwart building plans.

“We were hoping to open the program at the new facility in September 2000, but obviously with the judge’s ruling, that isn’t going to happen,” said Ralph Opacic, executive director of the arts school.

“It is unfortunate that the school district is going to have to delay the project at least another six months to do this environmental study,” he said.

Created by the school district in 1987, the program has more than 400 of the most talented artists in Southern California. District officials believe the program, housed in Los Alamitos High School, had become overcrowded and needed its own facility.

The district selected a 3.7-acre site off Bloomfield Street between Los Alamitos Elementary School and McAuliffe Middle School--then decided it did not have to address major environmental issues in depth.

But the city of Los Alamitos argued that the property has potential problems, especially with traffic, and sued to require a full environmental report. Without it, the city couldn’t determine how the problems would be fixed.

“The district will now have to put together an environmental impact report where anything that can possibly be addressed, such as traffic and safety for children, will be addressed,” City Manager Robert Dominguez said.

The proposed facility would allow the arts school to expand enrollment and include a gallery, more classrooms and a 600-seat theater.

“We think the program is wonderful and want it to continue, but we are very concerned about the site that has been chosen,” Mayor Marilynn M. Poe said.

“The traffic impacts are horrendous, and we have no idea what is under the railroad tracks when they pull them up.”

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High School on Hold

Plans for a new $18-million home for the Orange County High School of the Arts were put on hold Friday when a judge ruled that the Los Alamitos Unified School District failed to comply with state environmental laws at the proposed Bloomfield Street site.