More Changes coming to Main Street
By Kathryn Morgan
Picture this: You are driving down Main Street and glance over at one of our most beautiful, nostalgic, beloved landmarks, the green lawn and classical revival, columned facade of Los Gatos High School sitting on its knoll. In place of the inconspicuous two-story foreign language building (right of and perpendicular to the main building) is rising a much larger three-story building, as tall as the main building and hill put together.
When? 2002.
Why? The foreign language building is termite-ridden and shoddy (lowest bid always best bid?). It would cost as much to repair as to tear down and rebuild.
Taxpayers' generous Measure B bond money makes replacement possible.
Who decided this? The majority of the Facilities Committee, consisting of school administration, volunteer teachers (including myself, part of a minority against a three-story building on Main Street), parents and students, and the school board.
Why so tall? It will maximize the size of building. It plans for present and future enrollment increases; legislated smaller class sizes (good for teachers and students) equals the need for more classrooms; larger classrooms needed for progressive, student-centered and student-active teaching, not just lecture; less conspicuous area on campus (where temporary/portable math buildings are now) rejected by majority because of its distance from rest of campus, need for more parking, residential neighbors, adjacent public right of way.
Reassurances: Trees in front of foreign language building and memorial courtyard with benches between Main and FL Building will be saved. Stated intent of architect and implicit intent of majority of Facilities Committee and, I feel sure, the school board, is to respect and be compatible with the main building.
Remaining questions: How tall? Will the new building's design, window treatment, materials be compatible with the main building? Will we see scale drawings of the new building next to the main building before construction?
In 1925, noted school architect William Weeks, who designed more than 400 schools, including beautiful Campbell High, built the artificial hill the main building sits on so that it would dignify and dominate the other buildings. Will the new building preserve Weeks' vision? Budget is tight-- delays, competition for contractors, bottleneck at state. How will budget affect quality-compatibility? (Or do you have other priorities, disagree with these?)
How/when will remaining questions be settled? Facilities Committee meetings about exterior of new building begin on Sept. 20. Meetings are open, in the LGHS Library at 3:30 p.m. Other meetings will be scheduled as needed. Public or town input is not required. (Only school board and state of California need to approve.) but input will be taken as a courtesy; public meeting or forum is planned and will be announced.
Various ways to make your concerns and priorities known: Attend a meeting. Or write Facilities Committee, c/o LGHS, 20 High School Court, Los Gatos, 95032. Or call LGHS, 408.354.2730, ext. 4, for Administrator, or fax 408.354.3742 ; write or leave phone message for the school board at 408.354.2520 (fax 408.354.3375), 17421 Farley Road West, Los Gatos, 95030; talk to the school board on the first or third Tuesday of each month in either Los Gatos or Saratoga school libraries at 6:30 p.m.; email me at kmorgan@lghs.net.
In the future: renovation of the main building itself; help protect what you value about it.
Kathryn Morgan has taught English at LGHS since l966, retired last year from the planning commission after 17 years, and helped found the Los Gatos Historic Preservation Committee.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
