HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 2002 0827 CC JNTMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND MOORPARK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Moorpark, California Auqust 27, 2002
A Special Joint Meeting of the Moorpark City Council and the
Moorpark Unified School District (MUSD) Board of Education was
held on August 27, 2002, at 6:30 p.m. at the Moorpark Community
Center located at 799 Moorpark Avenue, Moorpark, California.
1. CALL TO ORDER:
Mayor Hunter called the City Council to order at 6:50 p.m.
Board President Cabriales called the Moorpark Unified
School (MUSD) District Board of Education to order at 6:50
p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Councilmember Wozniak led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL:
City Council Present: Councilmembers Harper, Mikos,
Wozniak, and Mayor Hunter
City Council Absent: Councilmember Millhouse
City Staff Present: Steven Kueny, City Manager; Hugh
Riley, Assistant City Manager;
Mary Lindley, Community Services
Director; Ken Gilbert, Public
Works Director; Barry Hogan,
Community Development Director;
Deborah Traffenstedt, Assistant to
City Manager /City Clerk
Board of Education
Present: Boardmembers Tom Baldwin, Greg
Barker, David Pollock, Mindy
Yaras, and President Cabriales
MUSD Staff Present: Dr. Frank DePasquale, District
Superintendent; Larry Brown,
Assistant Superintendent of
Business Services; and Dr. Tina
Cantrell, Assistant Superintendent
of Instructional and Student
Services.
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Page 2 August 27, 2002
4. PUBLIC COMMENT:
None.
5. PRESENTATION /ACTION /DISCUSSION:
A. Consider District Status Report on Bond Protects.
President Cabriales thanked everyone for their support
of the school bond projects, which benefit the entire
community of Moorpark. He introduced Dr. DePasquale.
District Superintendent DePasquale acknowledged
Campaign Chair Ron LaGuardia, the City Council, and
Moorpark residents for their efforts in getting Bond
Measure R passed in March 2002. He introduced
architect, Jim McGregor, Jim Stenson and other staff
members from the District's architectural firm. Steve
Hayward, Director of Maintenance and Operations was
also acknowledged for overseeing the projects.
Mr. McGregor provided a PowerPoint presentation on the
projects completed during the summer and a preview of
a new school in Moorpark Highlands. He indicated that
all of the District's schools benefited from either
Bond Measure R, which was passed in March or
previously approved State program funds.
President Cabriales stated that the School Board wants
to maximize the bond dollars while working in
cooperation with the City. He expressed concern
regarding how the School Board can keep the City
informed of future projects in order to expedite
completion and cited recent fee assessments for the
high school parking lot, which created delays.
In response to President Cabriales, Mayor Hunter
stated that the City does not want to see projects
delayed and suggested that the Joint Ad Hoc Committees
already in existence could assist in moving projects
forward as quickly as possible.
In response to President Cabriales, Mayor Hunter
stated that the amount of time needed for the City to
review projects will depend on their complexity. He
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Paqe 3 Auqust 27, 2002
also stated that not all projects would need to be
reviewed on an individual basis, and projects with a
similar timeline for completion could be grouped
together so that the City can move them through the
various departments for approval in a timely manner.
President Cabriales stated that it is also important
to consider the City's requirements for engineering
plan review.
Mayor Hunter stated that the City wants to minimize
the fees assessed to the District so that the dollars
can be applied to capital projects rather than fees.
He went on to state that the Ad Hoc Committees could
discuss the terms of financial assistance in greater
detail.
Councilmember Harper echoed the Mayor's comments and
then introduced Barry Hogan, Community Development
Director. He went on to state that projects will move
forward more expeditiously now that the Community
Development Department is fully staffed.
Mr. Pollock stated that the District is accustomed to
working with the State and scrutinizes construction
costs very carefully. He also stated that while it is
good to be working with the City, especially on
watershed and drainage issues, what has been
surprising is the number and size of the fees. He
stated that it would be helpful if there were a better
understanding of how and why these fees are accessed.
In response to Mr. Pollock, Mayor Hunter stated that
it would be beneficial for the District to know those
costs up front and the City could help by providing a
Fee Schedule to attempt to estimate fees for the
District.
Mr. Baldwin stated that the Board is concerned about
the fee structure and cited a comparison of the fees
charged by the City and those charged by the State for
the construction of the parking lots. He went on to
state that it would be helpful if there were better
communication on how the fees are calculated.
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark. California
Paae 4 Auaust 27, 2002
Ms. Yaras expressed concern regarding how fees are
calculated and stated that a more detailed accounting
would be helpful.
President Cabriales stated that previously there may
not have been enough dialogue regarding projects and
concurred with Mayor Hunter's suggestion of Joint Ad
Hoc Committee meetings to assist in expediting project
completion.
In response to Ms. Yaras, Mayor Hunter stated that a
more detailed accounting of costs would be provided by
the City in the future.
B. Consider District Status Report on School Site in
Specific Plan No. 2 (Morrison Homes /Pardee).
Dr. DePasquale stated that the goal is to open
Moorpark Highlands School in September 2005. He
stated that he hopes that the new committee structure
will help expedite this goal, since there is concern
about housing the number of students coming on -line in
Moorpark. He went on to describe the benefits of the
kindergarten to eighth grade (K -8) concept, which
allows the District maximum flexibility to convert
these types of schools to sole middle school or sole
elementary school campuses as the population in
Moorpark changes. He described the attendance at
Moorpark Highlands to include residents of the
adjacent development as well as "by choice" enrollees
from the surrounding community of Moorpark.
Mr. Stinson, architect for the District, gave a
presentation on the preliminary plan for the K -8
school designed to house 900 students on a 22 -acre
site in Specific Plan No. 2 (SP -2), adjacent to the
community park. He elaborated on the preliminary site
plan showing the three access points to the campus.
In response to Mayor Hunter, Dr. DePasquale stated
that some of the benefits of the K -8 concept are that
it keeps families and siblings together for nine
years; middle school age students on campus receive
the same kind of attention as their younger siblings;
and research shows that there are social benefits for
the middle school students as well as higher test
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Page 5 August 27, 2002
scores. He went on to state that the K -8 concept will
receive further study by the Vision 2010 Citizens
Committee and that the Board will consider this matter
on September 10th.
Councilmember Mikos stated that she is in favor of the
K -8 concept and has had personal experience on such a
campus both as a child and later as a teacher. She
went on to state that as a member of the
Transportation and Streets Committee, she looks
forward to options in the circulation design for
access to this campus, which will avoid impacts to the
neighbors.
Mr. Pollock stated that the DiE
providing meaningful choices
educational options. He went
that the school must open on
crowding on current campuses,
intra- district transfers.
�trict has a history of
to parents regarding
on to express concern
time, since there is
which is curtailing
Mr. Baldwin expressed concern that a future roadway
for gravel trucks may be designed to be above grade,
and it would be preferable if it were below the grade
of the school site.
Mr. Stinson stated that the preliminary plans show a
row of trees along the east side of the site, which
will help to screen any future roadway.
In response to Councilmember Harper, Dr. DePasquale
stated that there has been some discussion with the
City Manager and the SP -2 developer regarding joint
use of the park site.
President Cabriales stated that this is the perfect
project to work on together with the City, especially
due to the challenges with the site, in regard to
utilities and the elevation. He cited Walnut Canyon
School's circulation plan and parking lots as a model
for this campus. He indicated that there may have to
be a gradual phasing into a K -8 campus, due to the
reluctance of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students
at Mesa Verde or Chaparral Schools to leave their
current locations.
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Page 6 August 27, 2002
Mr. Kueny stated that the developer is committed to
delivering the school site in Phase I, including the
utilities with completion of grading by September
2003; the State Route (SR) 23 study is underway
regarding alignment and will include the roadway east
of the school; the design of "A" Street will allow
parking on both sides of the street as well as bike
lanes; and the City will want to look at an access
between the school and park to allow use of the
parking lot at the park for special school events.
Councilmember Mikos stated that consideration should
be given to the horse trails through SP -2 with
entrances into the park and their proximity to the
equestrian uses at Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park.
Mr. Baldwin questioned the need for security fencing
between the school campus and the park as is the
current condition on several other school campuses.
In response to Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Kueny stated that it
is ultimately up to the School District to decide, but
with proper planning, it is possible to locate the
sports fields outside the fence line.
In response to Councilmember Harper, Dr. DePasquale
stated that in discussions with Baldwin Homes, the
developer of North Park Village, 12 -acres are planned
to be offered for a possible school site. He also
stated that a 12 -acre site will only accommodate an
elementary school, and he is suggesting Baldwin Homes
consider 15 -16 acres to allow for the option of a K -8
school or a middle school.
Councilmember Harper stated that in conversations with
Mr. Baldwin, he was told that the School District
could have whatever size site they wanted.
In response to Ms. Yaras, Mr. Kueny deferred to the
City Engineer to clarify the preliminary study
conducted on the height of the SR -23 roadway planned
to the east of SP -2.
Mr. Walter Brown stated that the issue of the steep
vertical alignment of SR -23 is based on starting SR -23
from east Los Angeles Avenue near Crawford Canyon, and
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Page 7 August 27, 2002
on up to the higher elevation near the school site.
He also stated there is a great deal of excavation to
perform, which produces spoil material, and that the
developer's engineers state that they can accept some
of the spoil material. He stated the City is working
with the developer's engineers to look at lowering the
elevation of SR -23, but that in order to reach the
northerly terminus, the road needs to elevate at an
even gradient to match the elevations at the end.
In response to Mr. Kueny, Mr. Walter Brown stated that
the northerly limits of the study bring SR -23 into the
existing SR -23 at the wide curve at Broadway.
In response to Ms. Yaras, Mr. Walter Brown stated that
the City is also concerned about noise pollution near
the school and design considerations are underway. He
explained that fairly low sound walls can be installed
with the road up high, and if the roadway were
depressed, it would also cut down on some of the
noise. He went on to state that trees are very poor
sound attenuators and a dense material such as a
cinder block or concrete block wall is preferred.
Councilmember Wozniak stated that rather than
installing a large unsightly wall and creating a huge
slope, which will require landscaping and maintenance,
the preference should be to lower the roadway to a
level to attenuate noise.
Councilmember Mikos concurred with Councilmember
Wozniak regarding lowering the roadway and expressed
concern as to whether this location will be a
temporary bypass for trucks and eventually configured
by Caltrans as a continuation of the SR -23 freeway.
Mr. Kueny stated that this is an important conceptual
study, because if the Council does choose to lower the
roadway, it would require the grading scheme for the
project to be revised to spread more dirt over more of
the site. He went on to state that it would be best
to make a decision before the end of the year to avoid
delaying the project.
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Page 8 August 27, 2002
C. Consider D.A.R.E. Proaram.
President Cabriales stated that the D.A.R.E. program
was cut from the District's budget and a discussion of
whether or not to continue this program next year is
needed as the amount of time taken from educational
programs is of concern to staff members who have new
and pressing State programs, which take priority.
Councilmember Harper stated that he voted along with
the Mayor and other Councilmembers to extend the
D.A.R.E. program for one year solely with City
funding, even though he had some hesitation. He
indicated that studies conducted by universities do
not show the program is effective.
In response to Councilmember Harper, Dr. DePasquale
stated that the research is unclear, but D.A.R.E. does
give law enforcement a positive image in the mind of
young students, and that despite the budget cuts, the
District does value the D.A.R.E. Program. He stated
that if the D.A.R.E. program is not funded, Resource
Officers are an option. He recommended that this be a
subject for discussion by the Ad Hoc Committees and
stated his own priorities, as a Superintendent, would
be first to have a Resource Officer at the high
school, second a Resource Officer at the middle
school, and lastly the D.A.R.E. program.
Mayor Hunter stated that it would be difficult to
quantify the success of D.A.R.E. in diverting students
away from potential substance abuse. He stated that
there is a need for a D.A.R.E. -like program, which
along with continuing to divert students from
substance abuse would also teach social skills,
decision making skills, and the enhancement of self
esteem. He stated that he would like to have the City
partner with the School District to have a dialogue
regarding curriculum, he concurred with Dr. DePasquale
that there is value in having a Resource Officer in
the high school and middle schools, and suggested a
separate Ad Hoc Committee be formed for the purpose of
discussing this issue. He went on to state that the
Sheriff's Department needs to know as soon as possible
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Page 9 August 27, 2002
whether this program will continue so that they can
deal with staffing issues.
Mr. Pollock stated that regardless of what program is
decided upon, the School District is required by law
to have a certain number of hours dedicated to
substance abuse education.
Dr. Cantrell stated that despite the economic
realities, the District will strive to incorporate
D.A.R.E. values into the curriculum, such as reading
stories at the elementary level and writing essays to
clarify values about drugs at the upper class levels.
She went on to state that if the D.A.R.E. program is
not continued beyond next year, the District is
discussing integrating D.A.R.E. -like education into
the existing curriculum, such as health classes, to
create a seamless transition. Dr. Cantrell went on to
emphasize the need to include children younger than 5th
graders in this education and to continue to involve
the parent community to support the same values.
Councilmember Mikos stated that she hoped any
D.A.R.E. -like program would still include the personal
involvement of police officers, since their influence
on the youth is such a positive experience.
Mayor Hunter stated that he agrees with Dr. Cantrell
regarding involvement of students at an earlier age
and went on to ask if the Board has any interest in
reinforcement at the high school level with a
formalized program using the Resource Officer.
Mr. Baldwin concurred with Mayor Hunter regarding the
importance of formalized training at the high school
level. He stated that he feels that there should be
classroom involvement with the Resource Officer, but
expressed concern that the funding for the officer
will expire at the end of this school year. Mr.
Baldwin suggested a comprehensive approach to funding
not only the D.A.R.E program, but the continued
presence of Resource Officers on campus should be the
focus of the Ad Hoc Committee discussions.
Dr. DePasquale went on to describe the Ventura model,
which is a K -12 program called "Here's Looking at
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Page 10 August 27, 2002
You ", which includes a Resource Officer at all grade
levels. He stated that it is important that a
uniformed officer spend some time on the elementary
school campus.
Councilmember Wozniak stated that the D.A.R.E. Program
does work, the first priority for funding should be to
have Resource Officers stay on all campuses to help
with peer pressure and bullying, and the second
priority would be to look at the curriculum for other
types of programs such as the one in Ventura.
Councilmember Harper concurred regarding maintaining
the Resource Officers on campus. He stated he would
like to see funds spent wisely and that the presence
of uniformed police is advocacious.
Ms. Yaras stated it is wonderful to live in a
community where there is a unified effort to provide
the young people with an awareness of the negativity
of outside influences and thanked the Council for
their cooperative efforts.
President Cabriales concurred that the D.A.R.E.
Officer is a role model whose relationship to the
students is important. He asked for a long -term
commitment from both sides that the D.A.R.E. Program
not be watered down.
Mayor Hunter and President Cabriales asked for
volunteers to serve on the D.A.R.E. Ad Hoc Committee.
Mindy Yaras, Tom Baldwin, Mayor Patrick Hunter and
Councilmember Clint Harper stated that they would like
to volunteer to be on the Ad Hoc Committee.
CONSENSUS: It was the consensus of the Council and the
Moorpark Unified School District that Mindy Yaras, Tom
Baldwin, Mayor Patrick Hunter and Councilmember Clint
Harper be appointed to serve on the D.A.R.E. Program Ad Hoc
Committee.
Minutes of the City Council
and MUSD Board of Education
Moorpark, California Page 11 August 27, 2002
6. ADJOURNMENT:
JOINT MOTION: Councilmember Mikos moved and Board President
Cabriales seconded a motion to adjourn the joint meeting of the
City Council and Moorpark Unified School District Board of
Education in honor of Henry Bravo, long term Moorpark resident,
who recently passed away. The motion carried by voice vote 4 -0
for the City Council, Councilmember Millhouse absent, and
carried by unanimous voice vote from the Board of Education.
The time was 8:24 p.m.
ATTEST:
Deborah S. TrafferWtedt
City Clerk