The new facility will cover about 26,000 square feet. Along with the gym it will also include new locker rooms, a band room, three classrooms and a stage area.Robles said a major issue facing the school board now will be naming the gym. He also said the board can consider naming parts of the building. He added that they would encourage community participation in the process of selecting a name or names for the facility.
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(Top photo) Officials of the Santa Paula Elementary School District and the city turn the first shovels of dirt for the new Isbell Middle School gym. They are (l-r): Mayor Mary Ann Krause, Fernando Rivera, Isbell Principal, School Board members Gary Marshal, Anthony Perez, Dan Robles, Michelle Kolbeck and Ofelia De La Tore, Megan O’Brien, Isbell ASB President and Luis Villegas, District Superintendent. Photo by Brian D. Wilson |
New Isbell Middle School gym groundbreaking held
July 15, 2005
Santa Paula News
By Brian D. Wilson
Santa Paula TimesThe Santa Paula Elementary School District has held a groundbreaking for a new multipurpose room and gymnasium.The building, expected to be completed in a year, will be the first permanent facility built in the school district since Thelma Bedell Elementary School was dedicated in 1964.It’s been about 40 years since a gym for Isbell was talked about. “On behalf of the Board of Education, I extend our appreciation to the voters of Santa Paula for their approval of Measure D in March, 2000,” said Board President Dan Robles. “This bond funding, coupled with State of California School Construction funding has allowed the school district to renovate all seven district schools and, finally, this new multipurpose gym.”The total projected cost for the gym is $6.6 million. $4.2 million comes from the voters and the passage of Measure D and $2.4 million comes from a partial matching grant from the State of California. The City of Santa Paula also played a significant role in the new gym by entering into a joint use agreement with the school district. Robles said this agreement helped to secure the addition of the State funding.
