School board urges new building

Christine Carrillo

Addressing concerns about the stability of Newport Harbor High

School’s Robins Hall/Loats Theater in an earthquake, the school board

decided on Tuesday to move forward with constructing a new building

rather than retrofitting the old one.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, LPA Architects presented two

possibilities that would address the seismic problems found by the

Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s Measure A staff. After

conducting a structural engineering study that found the school’s

buildings, most of which were built in 1928, presented an

unacceptable risk if Newport Beach suffered a large “magnitude

seismic event,” the staff asked LPA to find ways to fix them.

The first proposal, a partial deconstruction, seismic augmentation

and reconstruction, would have cost $20 million to $30 million.

The second proposal, which the board approved 6-1, with trustee

Tom Egan dissenting, calls for a new building reminiscent of the

existing architecture that incorporates the existing tower and

theater facade. It would cost $18 million to $23 million.

The board approved the proposal for a new building with the

understanding that it will include the existing facade. Egan

dissented, saying that he didn’t feel comfortable making a decision

without seeing other proposals.

“I’m a little troubled that there is only one design being

offered,” he said.

Although Egan wanted to see proposals of differing costs and

extents of construction, the other board members said they felt the

presentation provided them with enough information to decide which

path to take.

“It’s not a plan. It’s a feasibility,” said Paul Reed, assistant

superintendent of business services, adding that the project is not

part of Measure A, yet it would run parallel to it. “It’s a picture

of possibility, if you will. Our intent with this presentation is to

give you the background.”

The high school itself, not the board, will decide on the exact

construction plans when that time comes.

To meet the financial demands of such a project, school officials

will combine allocations from the state as part of Measure A with

funds it should receive based on the safety concerns the school

facilities have presented.

Safety wasn’t the only concern expressed.

“I would hate to see anything happen to the facade,” said Lisa

Boler, who has children at Newport Harbor. “I would just really

suggest that you look into all the drawings.”

The strong concern about the building’s aesthetics, which also

came from board members, didn’t sit well with everyone who attended

the meeting.

“I’m just concerned that we are not in a position to preserve

something that’s architecturally interesting at the cost of other

schools,” said Christine Ludlow, a member of the Citizen’s Oversight

Committee, which handles Measure A issues. Safety, efficiency and

cleanliness should be among the board’s top concerns, not aesthetics,

she said.

Funding for the seismic project at Newport Harbor would not come

at the cost of other sites within the district, the board said.

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at [email protected].