A new high school planned for the southern portion of the Corona-Norco Unified School District could be one of the first in the state to take advantage of new funding available for "green" schools.
Rancho Serrano High School would be on land now owned by developer Ali Sahabi near his Dos Lagos development, which includes homes, offices, shops and a golf course.
The school board plans to vote Tuesday on purchasing a portion of the 110 acres Sahabi owns southeast of Cajalco and Temescal Canyon roads. The district would pay $25 million for about 40 to 50 acres of the property.
Story continues below
Steven Lewis / Special to The Press-Enterprise
Ali Sahabi, president of Dos Lagos developer SE Corp., stands on land Corona-Norco trustees are considering for a high school.
The site is known as Hubbs Quarry, and a rock quarry operates there. It would shut down before the district begins environmental testing on the site.
The district estimates the earliest Rancho Serrano could open would be in 2010. The school would be the sixth comprehensive high school in the district.
The board plans to vote Tuesday on a contract for an environmental study with Environmental and Regulatory Specialists, which has done preliminary studies for the development company.
Sahabi told district officials early during talks that he hoped the district would build the school in a way that is environmentally friendly.
He also suggested the school could have a focus on the environmental sciences, with students taking advantage of the nearby Lake Mathews Estelle Mountain Reserve and learning about the challenges involved in developing the school site and Dos Lagos.
The two lakes that Dos Lagos' name refers to were once silica mining pits, and the development included restoration of a portion of the Temescal Wash.
The school building could hold lessons on environmentally sound architecture and engineering.
"The actual building can become a laboratory for kids to learn these theories in action," Sahabi said.
The district's assistant superintendent for facilities, Ted Rozzi, and school board members said they like Sahabi's ideas. But the district won't settle on details until it has purchased the site.
California voters last November approved a $10.4 billion bond measure for school construction that included $100 million for "green" schools.
Later this month, the U.S. Green Building Council will launch an effort encouraging more schools to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. The certification is for buildings with features such as recycled building materials, less toxic paints and energy-saving windows.
More than 30 public and private schools have received the certification. The council estimates it costs an average of 2 percent more to build a green school but that districts can save money in the long run by cutting energy and water use by 30 percent or more.
Other benefits can include improved student health and performance, said Lindsay Baker, manager of the council's LEED for Schools program.
Rozzi said while conservation measures pay dividends in the long run, he's also looking into ways to defray upfront cost.
"If you only have so much money, it doesn't matter how much of a do-gooder you want to be," Rozzi said.
The district began negotiating nearly a year ago with Sahabi on a site for Rancho Serrano.
Initially, the two sides were discussing property Sahabi owns south of the Dos Lagos development. In September, they began looking at the site east of Dos Lagos.
The location will require extensive grading work. Rozzi said he did not know yet how much the grading would cost, but that the expense would be shared with Sahabi because he plans to develop the rest of the property.
The district has planned for several years to build a high school for students in southern Corona and Temescal Valley. Santiago High School, which serves that part of the district, has 4,000 students. It was built for 3,500 students.
Students from throughout the district who are interested in environmental science could have an opportunity to attend Rancho Serrano. But it would primarily be for students living nearby, Rozzi said.
BACK TO ARTICLES...
|
