District puts off Saratoga School decision despite city agreement

The SUSD will draft a compromise letter

Redwood project to begin

By Steve Enders

The Saratoga Union School District and its constituents made a long-winded pitch to the city of Saratoga April 22, presenting a laundry list of compromises to appease the city's and neighbors' concerns over the district's flawed initial environmental study of the two schools slated for renovation.

It also announced a compromise to the city on Saratoga School's disputed eucalyptus trees--at least one of the oldest, "historical" trees appears to have been spared.

But at an April 23 SUSD board meeting, where a final vote was expected on announcing a negative declaration--exempting itself from a full environmental impact report--the district balked, and said it would wait until April 27, when a final report on the Saratoga school project will be ready.

The board did vote for a negative declaration for the project at Redwood Middle School. The project is now set for bidding, and construction will likely proceed on schedule.

After making its case to the city, Community Development Director James Walgren advised the City Council to urge the SUSD to perform a "mitigated negative declaration," just one step shy of a full-blown EIR, but a binding addendum to the initial environmental study.

The school district has declared itself exempt from many of the city's zoning and land-use laws. However, the city began meddling with the school district's plans because under the California Environmental Quality Act, it is allowed to do so when historic structures or features could potentially be altered--in this case, the trees at Saratoga School.

It also wasn't happy with the report's claim that traffic would not be adversely affected when more students attend the schools after construction is completed.

The school board argued against Walgren's request, saying such a response would take too much time and effort since it needs to get the project moving as soon as possible.

Instead, the City Council urged the school board to work with city staff on drafting a memorandum of understanding (MOU), outlining the compromises and new information, and providing oversight on construction to see that the terms aren't violated.

The school board seemed to agree that the MOU was a good idea, and the entire issue appeared to have been concluded, with the school board ready to vote for a negative declaration.

But the next night, school board members backed off from any talk of an MOU, and instead agreed to send a watered-down letter to the city, explaining that the board does intend to stick to the compromises made with the city and neighbors of the school.

"Any kind of agreement that we bind ourselves with the city could mean trouble for us," board member Stan Perry said.

Because board members were uncomfortable drafting an agreement that seemed to them to be one-sided, the board instead decided to write a letter that will include what they plan to do with the project, including any agreements made with the city regarding the tree controversy.

Board President Cindy Ruby planned to sign the letter at the April 27 meeting before sending it to the city.

The school board's conclusions on the sites come as a result of weeks of meetings with traffic safety proponents, backers of the eucalyptus trees and various city officials and commissions.

In one of the strangest twists to the school board's pitch to the city, Jill Hunter's husband, Dennis, presented the plan to cut down one of the eucalyptus trees. Jill Hunter has been one of the most vocal advocates for saving all of the trees on the campus, and even resigned from her school board post in protest of the board's prior decision to cut them down.

Dennis Hunter said Jill does not agree with his stance on the trees, and she was not present at the City Council meeting.

Whatever the agreement with the city, the school board said it intends to revise the traffic outlook for both campuses, and attach new traffic studies to the initial environmental reports. The traffic flow patterns include ways to keep cars moving through heavily congested drop-off and pickup areas near the schools.

It also will attempt to save one of the eucalyptus trees. Both trees will be left alone when construction begins. When construction ends, the tree that appears to be the weaker of the two will likely be removed from the area where the district wants to build a new playfield.

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Staff writer Michelle Alaimo contributed to this report.

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