Santa Maria is a city that continues to expand—and quickly—to accommodate a growing population. For the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD), this means making room for more students.
In 2004, taxpayers authorized the allocation of Measure C bonds to provide more facilities for students. In an effort to use the Measure C bonds, the district has been on the hunt for a viable location in Santa Maria that could support a new high school specifically for students in continuation, alternative, and career/technical education programs.
As it stands currently, the new site for the school could be on the corner of Preisker Lane and North Broadway, which, at the moment, is nothing but an empty field.
In accordance with the California Department of Education, one of the first steps in building a new school is to determine the safety of the site. The barren field is currently under environmental review, being inspected for evidence of hazardous materials such as traces of lead, methane, and oil. The site’s history is also undergoing professional review. The state allocated $50,000 for last week’s testing.
Results should be available in about a month. If they’re favorable, planning for the project will transition to the next phase, during which the district will begin negotiations with the property owner and determine how the site will be laid out.
The proposed technical/continuation school is estimated to cost $15 million, and is at least two years away from the start of construction and three years from being completed.
Pending favorable results and the school district’s continued interest in the site after testing, the district is scheduled to host a 30-day public review and comment period. During that time, the district will also have a public hearing to discuss results and gain feedback from the community.
The results of the testing will be made available to the public and will be accessible at both the district office and the Santa Maria Public Library.
This article appears in Mar 1-8, 2012.