Foothills Sentry November 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 7 November 2020 Green Recycling Blue Ribbon Nursery Would like to thank Barry & Brad Rodieck for their invaluable service and history in the community over the past few decades! Blue Ribbon recently changed ownership to allow the Rodieck family to move to Idaho. Blue Ribbon is under new ownership but still a family run business and we look forward to providing the same great service the community has come to expect. Please come see our expanded product line, new showroom and yard and meet the next Blue Ribbon family! Special Orders Welcome! Phone: (714) 633-3666 | Email: info@blueribbonoc.com | Address: 1425 N Santiago Blvd, Orange, CA 92869 blueribbonoc.com GOCAT vision is brought to life The preliminary plan set for the Greater Orange Community Arts Theater, or GOCAT, should be ready to present to the Orange City Council in December. Moira Gannon Singer, head of the site development committee, announced that Bastien and Asso- ciates was awarded the contract to develop the preliminary plan set for GOCAT. Those design concept render- ings, she said, will provide a tan- gible, visual representation of the proposed venue, allowing city officials and residents to envision the future community resource. The vision for the $22 mil- lion structure, to be used by local schools and performance groups, was the brainchild of Orange High School Choral Director Mi- chael Short, who formed an advi- sory board to fundraise and bring the concept to fruition. Originally, the board planned to build on OUSD land, but when the City of Orange noted nine acres of 42-acre Grijalva Park were open and available for com- munity facilities, GOCAT jumped on it. The GOCAT board’s gala fund- raisers have paid for the prelimi- nary drawings, which they hope will attract donors and grantors, and help fund construction for the 590-seat structure, planned to be a theater “heart” for the commu- nity. For information or to donate, see greateroranecat.org . ElMo Measure S Phase 2 upgrades approved Improvements to El Modena High School, financed by funding from Measure S Phase 2, were approved by the Orange Unified Board of Trustees, Oct. 15. Phase 1 of Measure S, the $280 million school bond passed by voters in 2016, allotted approxi- mately $72 million to each of the four district high schools for the construction of modern science centers with dedicated class- rooms and labs. The remainder of that funding (Phase 2) is for campus improvements specific to each school. Of El Modena’s remaining $30 million, some $25 million is targeted for minor reno- vations and restroom upgrades to Buildings 200, 300, 400 and 500; a small addition to the student services/administration build- ing; renovation of Building 800; two new four-classroom modular buildings, and the removal of 16 portables. “We’re touching as much of the campus as possible,” said John Dale of architectural firm Harley Ellis Devereaux. “Students want a sense of security. We’re creating courtyards and an inner boundary. We’re putting security in the ar- chitectural design.” The renova- tions will include second-story walk bridges between buildings 200/300 and 400/500. Build- ing 800 will put career education disciplines under one roof, with a construction lab, drama lab, 150- seat black box theatre, culinary arts, fine arts and ceramic studios and a digital lab. Construction is expected to begin in October 2021 and be finished in the winter of 2023. The refurbished ElMo campus features fresh landscaping and shade structures. The new science center ap- pears in the upper middle portion of the rendering, as does the new aquatic center, which is not being paid for with Measure S funds. Buildings 200/300 and 400/500 will be connected by a second-story bridge overlooking a courtyard. Eleva- tors will also be installed. One of two new four-classroom buildings can be seen in the rear.