WE HAVE 2 URGENT ASKS!!!
1) Attend the BOARD MEETING on NOVEMBER 20th. If you want to speak regarding your concerns, wonderful; but large numbers just attending emphatically helps support our message. Reach out to other community members to come too!
2) Copy the following EMAIL (or write your own if you are so inclined) and paste it into a new email to be sent to the Board and Superintendent:
Dear DMUSD Board of Trustees and Superintendent Holly McClurg:
As a concerned DMUSD community member I am writing to urge you, our representatives, to revisit your proposed design for the Del Mar Heights School rebuild, and find a way to keep the large playing field intact. Both a new school and the large field are essential to the well being of our children and the Del Mar community. There is no reason for them to be mutually exclusive of one another.
The following are adjustments that can achieve a design that will keep the large field intact:
1. The early design plan called for 55-60,000 square feet of building area. Reduce the proposed area of the buildings in keeping with that. Reducing the design to the earlier footprint will also save valuable MM funds the District can use for additional schools’ improvements.
2. Utilize the Northwest corner of the property for school parking or school buildings - it should not be carved out for public use outside the school gates. That land must be used for the school in a meaningful way that adds square footage back into the field.
3. Eliminate the proposed road/driveway and parking along the eastern edge of the school leaving only a required fire road, if necessary, that can have a removable barricade for emergency vehicle use. Incorporate the savings in square footage back into the playing field. Multiple studies demonstrate that excessive parking results in more cars and more traffic, not less. City planners in San Diego, and all over the country, are moving away from car-centric development, making the addition of parking and an enlarged car queue shortsighted for a project that will be with our community for the next 50 years.
4. Keep all parking and road in the front of the school, away from the classrooms. Any safety concerns for pedestrians can be adequately addressed by the experts. One idea that we have discussed, is a low art wall around the pedestrian path that serves as a barricade. The currently proposed road/driveway is a significant security concern as it allows anyone easy vehicle access to the entire length of the school, out of view of the front office, and directly adjacent to the classrooms. This is unacceptable. As an added benefit, keeping cars in the front will keep exhaust fumes away from the classrooms.
5. Further explore the potential for a limited two story pocket that would be agreeable to neighbors. This is a viable option that must be explored, as pockets exist that would not block neighbors’ views.
These adjustments will help achieve a better balance at the Del Mar Heights school of the future. Of course we need to upgrade buildings with collaborative spaces and more light, but the field is just as essential to the children’s academic, emotional, social, and physical growth. And it is just as essential to the Del Mar community.
Protecting the field must be a part of the design. This is achievable and will result in widespread community support.
Let’s work together on this solution.
I look forward to seeing you at the next DMUSD board meeting on November 20th.
Thank you for your time and efforts for our schools.
Sincerely,
You can copy their email addresses and paste them into the "To:" portion of your email as well.
Superintendent Holly McClurg:
hmcclurg@dmusd.org
Board of Trustees:
ehalpern@dmusd.org
swooden@dmusd.org
kfitzpatrick@dmusd.org
gmok@dmusd.org
drafner@dmusd.org