A proposal to put a well on school district property north of
Morgan Hill had tensions running high during discussion at the Jan.
30 Board of Education meeting.
Morgan Hill – A proposal to put a well on school district property north of Morgan Hill had tensions running high during discussion at the Jan. 30 Board of Education meeting.
The well would be located at the Charter School of Morgan Hill, on Monterey Road in Coyote Valley just south of Bailey Avenue.
The fire suppression system would be supported by the well, and Great Oaks Water System could also use the well to support other users.
The district needs to put in a fire suppression system at the Charter School, which is on the former Encinal campus, because two additional classrooms and a restroom facility will be needed next year to accommodate the anticipated increase in students. According to the district staff’s report, a previous application to the Division of State Architect for additional housing facilities was rejected because of an “inadequate fire suppression system.”
The district is required by law to provide facilities for charter school students.
The system, which Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini said needs to be in place by June, would be provided by Great Oaks Water Agency if trustees voted for the proposal recommended by staff.
Trustees voted 5-2, with trustees Shelle Thomas and Julia Hover-Smoot voting against, in favor of the proposal recommended by district staff.
The proposal calls for a land easement of 450 square feet to the Great Oaks Water Agency for the construction of a well in exchange for water service of adequate flow capacity and pressure to serve a fire suppression system.
The agency would pay the district $10 per square foot of land or $4,500.
A public hearing will be held during the board’s Feb. 13.
The main bone of contention seemed to be that trustees were asked to discuss the issue and vote at the same meeting. Several trustees, including Thomas and Julia Hover-Smoot, wanted to vote at another meeting.
Hover-Smoot and Thomas were also unhappy with staff’s recommendation that the district sell the easement area. They also didn’t like the idea that someone from the water agency who is not a district employee would be checking the well weekly.
Tognazzini and Director of Facilities, Modernization and Construction Al Solis told trustees they have been working for six months to arrange for water to support a fire suppression system on the campus.
“We have looked at a variety of options over that time,” Tognazzini said.
Besides the recommended proposal, the staff report offered several alternatives.
The first alternative would be for the district to pay approximately $250,000 to Great Oaks Water Agency to provide water service without a land easement. The actual cost would depend on the size and length of pipeline, according to the report.
Another option district staff considered is that the water service could be provided by San Jose Municipal Water Service by constructing an 8-inch pipeline from their Bailey Road water main. The main is west of the railroad tracks, so an easement would have to be obtained from Union Pacific. The costs for this option are estimated to be approximately $320,000, including engineering fees.
An option that would be faster – because no Union Pacific easement would be needed – would be to connect to an existing San Jose Municipal Water Service pipeline farther north. According to the staff report, this option could cost $460,000 including engineering fees.
Finally, district staff told trustees they could build their own system by refurbishing the existing water well and building a 500,000-gallon storage tank and pressure booster pump system. The estimated cost for this option is more than $1.3 million, and design and construction would take months, if not years, according to the staff report.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@*************es.com.
