SPUSD buys more Palm Court property

April 22, 2015
Santa Paula News

The Santa Paula Unified School District (SPUSD) Board has voted to purchase another property on Palm Court.

Palm Court runs through the middle of the 15-acre Santa Paula High School campus, between the swimming pool and the McMahon Gym and the football field. The board approved buying the home at 34 Palm Court, although there are no current plans for the use of the land. It is located above the swimming pool. The district is paying $355,000 for the parcel. The money comes from developer fee funds. The district is expected to rent the home until the land is needed at some future date.

The district had earlier bought a parcel to the south of the pool at 41 Palm Court. They already owned 42 Palm Court. The board has approved a plan to turn those two parcels into a parking lot, helping to alleviate parking on nearby residential streets. Some residents have brought their concerns over parking for big events at the school which create parking problems for them.

The parking issue led to the district turning the baseball outfield into a temporary parking lot because construction of the new Science and Technology buildings caused Fifth Street to be closed to parking for an extended period of time and just recently reopened.

SPUSD Superintendent Alfonso Gamino said the district has now purchased three homes since he came on board including 8 Palm Court. Buying the Palm court properties is part of the district’s long-range 30-year plan to eventually buy up most, if not all of the land on Palm Court. “From time to time property comes up on the open market,” he said. “We look at it, we assess. Is this the right time, do we have the funding. If a property comes on the market we go look at it.” The district has about $960,000 invested in the three properties.

Gamino said they’re looking at removing the Cal-SAFE from number 42 to 8 Palm Court. The California School Age Families Education Program, also known as Cal-SAFE, is a school-based program for expectant and parenting students and their children. The program provides academic and support services to help students to stay in school. That move would free up number 41 and 42 for more parking. “We’re looking to see if we should level them now (the two homes currently on the properties),” he added. “We’re land-locked, our school is on three different streets. That presents a challenge.” 

The district hopes to eventually acquire a number of other properties on lower Palm Court for future school use.





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