“Not a cinch, but it is incredibly likely,” says School Board member Scott Zeidman, that synthetic turf will be installed in the Culver City High School athletic field.
He spoke this morning as solicitation letters were floating across the community in the name of demonstrating broad support for the project that may happen next summer.
The School Board has not taken a formal stand on approving the field because of two muscular question marks:
• The cost, probably around $1.25 million, and
• The precise funding sources.
Mr. Zeidman said the new field would be underwritten by “a combination” of different sources, including an undetermined amount from the Capital Improvement Fund.
The estimated cost at this preliminary stage is between $1 million and $1.5 million, he said.
“We would be fools to vote in a vacuum,” Mr. Zeidman said, “and then find out later it was $6 million.
But a green light is winking at members. In Mr. Zeidman’s view, “the Board seems willing and wants to spend the money to benefit our children.”
The School Board has prioritized three major projects on the present calendar —
1. Elevators for the Middle School and Culver City High School,
2. A new turf for the football field, and
2a. A variety of repairs on the Robert Frost Auditorium.
The football field would not only be deemed the most glamourous of the three undertakings, Mr. Zeidman said it also stands as the least complicated.
There appears to be a jigsaw element to the other two.
Why the Field Is Most Direct
“The field will be easier to do than Robert Frost,” said the vice president of the Board, “because the field is one quote and the Frost will be anywhere from a half-dozen to as many as 18 different quotes, depending on what needs to be done.
“Because the field is easier, we have asked the (School District) administration to send out requests-for-proposals for a better idea of the exact cost.”
With boys’ and girls’ athletic teams constantly using the field, summer looks like the earliest installation date. Mr. Zeidman said he does not know the installation time, but he estimated it may require 60 to 90 days.
As for the non-functioning elevators in the Middle School and high school, “the Board has prioritized this because of ADA (the Americans with Disabilities Act).
“We have been trying to get elevators installed in both places for years,” Mr. Zeidman said. “But this has to go through the L.A. County Division of School Architecture first. But they are backlogged, and they have not gotten back to us.
“Elevators are prioritized as No. 1 because they have to be done. There is no choice.”
Two early estimates pack a significant gap $2 million and $500,000 to $1 million.
But the School Board cannot solicit bids until the Division of School Architecture responds.
“We have to put away $2 million,” Mr. Zeidman said, “but we are not believing it will cost that much.”
Meanwhile, the solicitation letter is asking prospective donors to demonstrate to the School Board that there s wide backing for new turf. See http://losangelesrealestatevoice.com/culvercity/
