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| CUSD moves forward with plans to build school at Wavecrest By MATT KAPKO Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 9:43 AM PDT Half Moon Bay Review The Cabrillo Unified School District held a 50-minute closed session last Thursday, July 29, to discuss and approve an amended purchase and sale agreement for a new middle school property in the proposed Wavecrest Village development. The school board returned from closed session to announce the agreement and the changes it reflects from two prior agreements. The school district will pay Wavecrest Village $1.2 million in cash and convey its El Granada property (valued at $1 million) for a 23-acre site in Wavecrest. The agreement includes many clauses that allow the district to terminate the agreement if certain timelines aren't followed. Conditions of the sale include a required California Coastal Commission approval no later than its regular scheduled meeting Sept. 8-10 and a final approval for the Wavecrest development by Oct. 31. "Many months ago, we implored the city and Wavecrest to resolve their differences so that the construction of a new middle school could become a reality. The board congratulates the city and Wavecrest on achieving an agreement that helps move this dream forward for the children and community of Half Moon Bay," Ken Jones, the board's president, read from a prepared statement. "We believe this represents another important step forward for obtaining final approval of the project before the Coastal Commission and building the new middle school that is vital to the children of Half Moon Bay and the future of our community," he added. Dwight Wilson, the board's vice president, urged the community to narrow the rift this proposal has created and find common goals to pursue. "Let's move on so that we can take on other projects that are important to this community," he said. Nevertheless, Jonathan Lundell opposes the board's decision, saying it was too one-track minded in its pursuit of a new middle school at Wavecrest - a proposal first introduced in 1997. He also noted his frustration with the board's choice to discuss the agreement in closed session; something he considers a Brown Act violation. "As usual I think the school district is missing the opportunity to rethink their decision to build a middle school at Wavecrest," he said. "It may have been a good idea eight years ago," he said, "but there are a lot of possibilities that are more interesting than what they're planning to do." |