Foothills Sentry July 2023

Page 7 Foothills Sentry July 2023 We’re excited to welcome you to Sunrise of Orange, conveniently located in the heart of Orange County next to Old Towne Orange. Come tour our model suites and community amenities, meet our team, and learn more about the truly exceptional living experience we tailor to you. We can’t wait to meet you. Call 714-409-9363 to schedule your personal tour. Extraordinary Senior Living Has Arrived NOW OPEN IN ORANGE • Elegant studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom suites • Beautifully landscaped outdoor spaces, patios, and a walking path with benches • Seasonal menus with daily specials crafted by our talented culinary team ORANGE Visit SunriseOrangeCA.com/Sentry to view our floor plans and photo gallery. Assisted Living | Memory Care 1301 E. Lincoln Avenue, Orange, CA 92865 © 2023 Sunrise Senior Living Call Rob! TERMITE/PEST INFESTATION? 25% OFF PEST SERVICE $ 150 OFF TERMITE SERVICE Get a FREE Quote! (714) 628-6570 www.oldtownetermite.com Open 24/7 FREE INSPECTIONS! PRICE MATCH GUARANTEED! • Local Treats • Wood Repairs (In House) • Termite Fumigations • & Much More Rob Doughty Family Owned & Operated for 30+ Years Mud tube infestation of Subterranean termites. OUSD Board hears update on Villa Park pool costs By Tina Richards A detailed cost estimate of $25,691,048 for the proposed 50m pool at Villa Park High School (VPHS) was presented to the Orange Unified Board as the final gasp in a meeting that lasted until almost 2 a.m. The pool presentation, which appeared well down from the top of a lengthy agenda, began at 1 a.m. The topic came close to being continued to the board’s next meeting due to the lateness of the hour, but was shuffled to the end of a rearranged docket that prioritized more pressing issues. The presentation focused on the option to build a new pool separate from the existing pool, to allow it to remain in service during construction. The cost of building a new pool in the current pool footprint would not be much different, because it would include demolition, moving the fire lane and other facilities. Some like it not While the board majority is chugging ahead on the 50m pool for VPHS, and that school’s constituents are all for it, not everyone believes it is money well spent. It will deplete the district’s $31 million deferred maintenance fund, forcing facilities needs at lower and middle schools to go unmet. Parents from Orange and Canyon High Schools note that those pools are also 50 years old and likely to fail. So what about us, they ask? Other district parents have brought up the shortcomings at their children’s schools. Sycamore needs a cafeteria; other elementary schools need multi-purpose rooms and outside lighting. Parents themselves raised the money for a new playground at Serrano. Board President Rick Ledesma and Trustee John Ortega have justified the expense of a 50m pool by calling it a “community pool,” a facility that could be available to the public when not in use by the district. That concept would cost more in terms of added security fencing, a larger parking lot and larger deck area. Trustee Andrea Yamasaki raised concerns about a community pool’s impacts on the neighbors, parking and street traffic. “It’s just not realistic to have a community pool at Villa Park,” Kris Erickson added. They were assured that those issues would be covered when the Environmental Impact Report was done. “It’s not an issue,” Ortega said. “High schools have events there all the time; it wouldn’t be any different.” Where it is Erickson, Yamasaki and Trustee Ana Page have all suggested spending the $25 million to build a true community pool on the Peralta site and renovate those (spending less) at the three high schools. That possibility has been dismissed by the board majority. There may, however, be alternatives to the $25 million price tag. The district’s pool consultant mentioned a Myrtha Pool (pre-engineered, modular) as an option, or choosing lease- leaseback financing instead of design-bid-build. The board had questions about those alternatives and was promised more details at a future meeting. In an unusual twist, public comments on the pool presentation were heard earlier in the meeting, hours before the discussion. Typically, public speakers address a topic when it comes up on the agenda. Regardless of the timing, a recurring theme among OUSD constituents has been the notion that Trustee John Ortega has a relationship with the ORCA swim club. ORCA uses OUSD pools, and would benefit from a 50m pool at VPHS. For the past several months, public speakers at board meetings have raised Ortega’s perceived conflict of interest regarding the new pool, and have asked him to recuse from any discussion/vote on that topic. No ties, no lies At this meeting, an OUSD parent reported that Ortega had a family member affiliated with the swim club. When asked if that was the case, Ortega refused to answer and claimed, as he has done repeatedly, that there is no conflict of interest and he will not recuse himself. His position is supported by Rick Ledesma, Madison Miner and Angie Rumsey. Board members Erickson, Yamasaki and Page have encouraged him to recuse from the pool discussion and vote if for no other reason than “it looks bad.” As the pool discussion drew to an end, Yamasaki said she had a last few questions, in the interest of transparency. The first, did either of the pool consultants meet separately with any board member prior to the meeting? No. Second, did John Ortega have a family member working with ORCA? Ortega, visibly angry, asked her why everyone kept bringing up “that organization.” “Because people want to know,” she answered, suggesting a yes or no was sufficient. Ortega simmered while Ledesma insisted that the question had already been answered many times over and ended the meeting.