The year 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of a $283 million BB Facilities Bond to rebuild SMMUSD schools, including Malibu High School (MHS). Three years ago, the Division of State Architects and the Malibu City Planning Commission approved the $33 million MHS plan. Tragically, the past 10 years of work by hundreds of stakeholders is about to go down the drain. The Division of State Architects stipulates that construction must start by July 13, 2016, which is six months from now.
I’d like to go over some details in case Malibuites have forgotten why our building project, which would begin the process of ridding our campuses of PCBs, is six years behind schedule.
In 2013, the Malibu Community Alliance (MCA) lodged an appeal to the Coastal Commission regarding the plan, which was within their rights. With a Coastal Commission demand to compromise, the district redesigned the lighting plan for the third time using the principals of the Dark Skies Association to address MCA concerns.
The resulting lighting plan adheres to the lowest lighting standard — LZ 1 — which is used in National Parks. But, a year after the redesign, the MCA still refuses to seal this compromise. The MCA and their consultant, Jim Benya, (whose company was the Dark Skies consultant for Malibu) drag their feet as the shelf life of our plans ticks down to zero. Perhaps the phrase, “building delayed is building denied” would best describe their all too common strategy.
Put another way, the educational program of thousands of present and future students is being hijacked by arguments over the color of light bulbs. The MCA is preventing our students from enjoying buildings that we could proudly say do not contain PCBs, provide 21st century science labs and move forward an already funded building program.
We urge citizens who believe in healthy schools to demand that the MHS plans be implemented immediately. Our voices must be heard at the school board, Coastal Commission and city council meetings. There is no time to waste.
Malibu deserves better buildings.
Heather Anderson