WATSONVILLE — The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday agreed to hire a contractor that will oversee construction of the long-awaited athletic field at Pajaro Valley High.
In a 6-0 vote, the trustees approved a contract with Gilroy-based Kent Construction, LLC. Trustee Georgia Acosta was absent.
“This is one more step toward PV High getting its long-awaited field,” Board President Leslie De Rose said.
PVUSD Director of Maintenance and Operations Victor Sandoval said construction will likely start sometime in 2019, but was reluctant to give a specific date.
There are a handful of steps that must be completed first, Sandoval said.
Kent Construction will now examine the district’s plans for the field and bleachers, and determine if any changes could save the district money or make construction more efficient.
Any changes would have to be approved by the California Division of the State Architect, the agency that approves school construction projects.
Once that happens, Kent Construction would put the project out for bid in a search for subcontractors. That could be as early as January, if there are no changes to the plans.
The district will pay for the work with Measure L funds. This will occur through a lease/leaseback agreement, through which the district leases the property to the company, and then leases it back from the company over a period of time for a price equivalent to the construction costs.
This method of funding construction is popular among school districts that want to stretch out payments, rather than fund the entire cost during the period of construction. It also allows districts to choose contractors based on qualifications, rather than lowest price, Sandoval said.
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The trustees also approved a proposal to increase developer fees from $5.02 to $5.47 per square foot of new residential space.
School districts charge developer fees to builders to help offset expected increases to student population from new housing developments.
With more than 20,000 students in schools throughout PVUSD, many schools are at capacity. According to district staff, about 20 percent of the district’s teachers are relegated to portable classrooms
The increase for the Ohlone Parkway Sunshine Vista Project is projected to net about $1.37 million for the district, a $113,287 increase from the previous fee structure.
Trustee Jeff Ursino expressed concern about the impact the increased fees will have on future development, and said that it could drive developers out of the county.
“Someone is going to have to eat that fee,” he said.
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In other action, the trustees approved a plan for the district to partner with Aptos Little League in a relationship expected to benefit the playing field at Aptos Junior High.
The five-year agreement will allow Aptos Little League to fund improvements at the Aptos High School playing field, and pay for maintenance, in exchange for free use of that field.
The first such improvement will be a water line that would allow installation of a water fountain, which would cost from $5,000-$10,000, Aptos Little League President Chris Martinez said.
The organization is also considering building a public bathroom to be used during little league games, Martinez said.
The hope is that the agreement can in the future extend to the elementary schools in the north part of the district.
The agreement would allow the district to upgrade the field at the school without tapping into its general fund, he said.
“We’re spending the money to make the fields better than they have ever been before,” he said.
