First draft of facilities master plan details proposed improvements at La Cañada Unified campuses
Two-story buildings at Palm Crest and La Cañada elementary schools? A student union in La Cañada High School’s Quad area and a relocated swimming pool?
These options and more were up for review Monday as La Cañada Unified School District unveiled in a town hall forum the first draft of a new facilities master plan, a document that will drive renovation and rebuilding at all LCUSD campuses in the coming decades.
Providing “a 10,000-foot view” of how construction and infrastructure projects will better accommodate 21st-century learning, the master plan is being rolled out for public consumption at all schools.
Once approved, the plan will also help guide the district as it decides whether to place a multimillion-dollar general obligation bond before district voters in November.
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On Monday, school administrators, district officials and representatives from the Irvine-based architectural firm LPA Inc. invited residents to La Cañada High School to review and give feedback on some of the preliminary designs being considered at each school.
“This is our first blush at getting large-scale community buy-in,” Supt. Wendy Sinnette said of the town hall forum. “[LPA reps] are really hoping we take these draft plans, poke a lot of holes in them. Then it will come back to the Facilities Master Planning group to do the same.”
Sinnette estimated a completed document with a list of priorities and cost estimates could come before the school board as soon as July. Board members would then decide on pursuing a bond and determine how much might be levied, leaving any campaign efforts in the hands of a community group.
On Monday, LPA representatives explained the process so far and how they’re hoping public input will help them adhere to guiding principles established by stakeholders that involve serving students, enhancing safety and security and inspiring tangible results in a flexible and responsible learning environment.
“We’re trying to get a cross section of what people feel, from both the outside and those who live and breathe the sites every day,” said LPA project designer Lindsay Hayward.
Participants at the forum then moved to the foyer, where proposed mock-ups of each school site were spread out on tables. Pens and sticky notes allowed people to ask questions and share opinions.
La Cañada High School sophomore Jeffrey Kaufman hovered over the proposed plans for his campus alongside Principal Ian McFeat. One mock-up showed the campus pool relocated to an area south of the South Gym, and a new student union building in the center of campus currently referred to as the Quad.
Kaufman, who was hesitant about proposals that would potentially diminish the popular outdoor hangout and dining area or erect fences on school grounds, said he came to the forum to check out potential solutions for perennial problems, such as parking.
“In the morning, when you have all the lab workers at JPL, traffic is a complete disaster,” he said, admitting he was surprised by some of the suggestions. “If students were exposed to this and saw this preliminary plan, they’d probably have the same reaction — this is a really big change.”
Palm Crest PTA President DeDe Cook penned notes about proposed walkways and access points on the Palm Crest campus.
A member of the district’s Facilities Master Plan Committee, Cook said she liked the proposal to convert the former school district office building adjacent to Palm Crest into parking. She also liked a two-story classroom building that would eliminate portables and cohere instructional space.
“I think our schools are — well, tired is a tough word — but they need to be freshened up,” she said. “I hope the community really gets behind a bond to do these projects. Our building should reflect the standards of education we hold for our students.”
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The next Facilities Master Plan Committee meeting takes Feb. 1, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board Room, 4490 Cornishon Ave. The public is welcome to attend and give feedback on proposals listed in the draft facilities master plan, or make new suggestions. For more information, call (818) 952-8300.
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
