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Neighbors say parking near school is getting out of hand
Presentation High School says it's doing all it can to alleviate problems
By Chantal Lamers
Neighbors of Presentation High School were relieved when they heard the private girls' school would be undergoing construction next spring. Neighbors were sure school officials were finally going to add parking spaces, relieving crowded neighborhood streets of students' cars.
Instead, neighbors learned at a July 19 community meeting that the school is building seven new classrooms and a theater. And while the 20 residents who showed up at the meeting weren't upset about the construction, they said they were upset because there's no plan to remedy the growing parking problem.
Presentation has 173 parking spaces for students, faculty and staff. Because on-campus parking is limited, many students park on neighborhood streets surrounding the high school. Construction will generate 15 additional parking spaces.
Jeff Manning, a Jenvey Avenue resident, said school administrators promise every year to address the parking problem, but it continues to worsen.
Manning said he leaves home in the morning to take his children to school, and when he returns the parking space in front of his home is taken.
Tom Guerreiro, an 18-year resident of the neighborhood, said on garbage pick-up days, haulers won't pick up trash. Cars are parked all over the streets--making garbage cans inaccessible to trucks, he says.
"It seems like the years are going on, and things are getting worse and worse and worse," Guerreiro said.
Curt Calfee, a five-year resident of Jenvey Avenue, said he has no problem with the construction. But he came to the meeting hoping to hear that administrators were going to deal with parking.
Calfee said the school is doing the neighborhood a disservice, forcing drivers in search of parking spots to circulate through the neighborhood.
Principal Mary Miller said that due to space and money limitations, the school can't build a parking structure. Miller said although she can't solve the problem entirely, administrators would try to improve the parking situation.
"We don't have a whole lot of options, but we'll see what we can do."
Miller said the construction project isn't to allow the school to expand enrollment--it's to allow the school to expand its curriculum. Miller also said that school officials discontinued the open campus policy. Under the open campus policy, juniors and seniors were able to leave campus for lunch.
Presentation High School board members and trustees also vowed to help alleviate parking problems for neighbors.
On its 9.5-acre site, Presentation will soon feature a 17,500-square-foot theater and classroom facility between the existing classroom building and athletic complex.
The classroom facility will be three stories tall, or about 35 feet, including basement-level classrooms. Administrators say new classrooms will allow the school to expand the music and theater arts programs. The new building will feature a ceramics classroom and computer labs. The theater will seat 250 people and also be used for film and speech classes.
Architect David Ewell said the new facilities will feature low-level lighting and sound traps around air-conditioning units to keep noise generation down.
Construction is expected to begin in April 2001, and wrap up by December 2001. According to contractor Mike Blach, hours of construction will be limited to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Friday and some Saturdays.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
