Costa Mesa High parents and athletes tell school board they want improvements at planned stadium

Concerned that Costa Mesa High School’s planned stadium may not be comparable to other facilities in the area, a group of parents, boosters and alumni asked the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board Tuesday night for team rooms and additional fan seating at the $8.5-million facility.

Costa Mesa High senior football player Jonathan Brucales, backed by several teammates, told trustees he wants a place to call “our house.” Even though Brucales is graduating this year, he said he wants the best for future players.

The stadium is scheduled to be ready for the fall football season, and parents said they don’t want to delay that.

Tim Whitacre, a representative of Orange County 2nd District Supervisor Michelle Steel, told the board that Steel wants the best stadium possible and asked trustees to seriously consider the parents’ requests.

Whitacre, a parent of a student-athlete at Calvary Chapel High in Santa Ana, said he supports improvements to the Costa Mesa stadium because he wants the Calvary Chapel Eagles to play in a great facility against the Mustangs in Costa Mesa.

Katrina Foley, a Costa Mesa city councilwoman and a former school board member, joined a group of parents and others at a meeting at the high school Monday night to discuss the stadium. At the time, Foley said she would not speak at the school board meeting Tuesday.

But on Tuesday, after district Supt. Fred Navarro showed a video from a March 2014 meeting in which the stadium plans were approved, Foley spoke during public comments.

“After the March 2014 vote, there were additional plans,” she said. “A press box was added, pole vault was added, high jump pit, signage, a scoreboard was added.”

She believes more can be added now and that the most pressing need appears to be team rooms for the home and visiting teams.

Though amenities often vary, team rooms are generally private spaces for athletes and coaches that are separate from locker rooms. Some offer classroom-like amenities and white boards to discuss plays, while others are more oriented toward lounging.

Cori Juncker, who said she grew up in Costa Mesa and has three children who attend Costa Mesa Middle School and the high school, emphasized five requests to the school board:

Confirm that the Costa Mesa varsity football team will play at the new stadium. School Principal Jacob Haley has told parents that the district told him varsity games can be played there, but the parents want clarification.

Confirm the number of seats expected at the stadium, which now is planned to be 1,000.

Provide space for team rooms, modeled after Estancia High School’s Jim Scott Stadium. She suggested using portable team rooms temporarily, if the district needs to gain money for permanent rooms.

Have an oversight committee of parents, boosters and coaches help with the stadium construction process.

Form a committee to work on each high school’s athletic funding needs.

Michael Heil, vice president of Costa Mesa Football Boosters, said he builds custom homes in Newport Beach and other parts of Orange County and asked to be part of the process.

Henry Perez, a Costa Mesa High parent and a booster of football and basketball, said he believes the perception of the school is changing. In the past, many parents sent their children to neighboring high schools or private schools, but now more are going to Costa Mesa High, he said.

“The decisions regarding the facilities at the school, the public feels it’s a challenge of how it was set up,” Perez told the school board. “The momentum is gaining for Costa Mesa. Please help us to keep it moving forward.”