WATSONVILLE — Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s long-awaited efforts to build an auditorium at Pajaro Valley High School has hit another snag after the Watsonville Pilots Association has stated its intent to file a lawsuit against the district and the city.
According to Watsonville City Attorney Alan Smith, the city received notice of the lawsuit late Friday afternoon. PVUSD Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez said the district also received notice.
Watsonville Pilots Association spokesman John Randolph and Rodriguez both declined to comment for this story, citing pending litigation.
The Watsonville City Council is scheduled to discuss the matter tonight in closed session, meaning that it will not be discussed during the public meeting that follows.
The council on Feb. 28 approved a permit for the auditorium at PVHS at 500 Harkins Slough Road, with the condition that PVUSD must pay for any legal fees.
Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra also declined to comment on the specifics of the pending case, but said his was one of the yes votes when the council approved the permit.
“PV High is in my district, so I have a strong commitment to the institution, its students and families,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to have these kids denied the enjoyment of a true high school experience.”
When the school was built in 2004, the plans did not include the proposed 15,000-square-foot auditorium. The district must therefore modify the coastal development permit that allowed the construction.
In December 2016, the Caltrans Division of Aeronautics sent a letter in opposition to the project, stating that the city does not have a general plan that complies with the State Aeronautics Act.
Because the city is currently in court with the Watsonville Pilots Association and Friends of Buena Vista over its 2030 General Plan, it is unable to approve the project without setting the city up for a lawsuit, according to City Manager Charles Montoya.
In February, Montoya instead recommended that the council deny the application, so the school district could appeal the decision to the California Coastal Commission in the next few months. If not, Montoya warned that the project could be delayed at least three years as it weaves its way through the court process.
Rodriguez warned that if the 2030 General Plan is approved, it would forever preempt construction on the land.
The construction at PVHS, which includes a 450-seat auditorium, playing fields and a track, has garnered controversy since the school was built in 2004. Current plans show completion around 2019.
Project costs, estimated at $19.3 million, are covered in part by $18.4 million in 2012 voter-approved Measure L funds.
Generations of students have demanded the fields they were promised when they helped campaign for the measure.
The Watsonville Pilots Association, meanwhile, claims that one proposed field lies in an airport safety zone and is unsafe and illegal. The group has long vowed to fight the project legally, and has suggested an agreement between the city and the district in which the school would use Ramsay Park for its fields.
