Schools
Tuscany Hills Elementary Expansion Project Leaves Some Homeowners Unhappy About Blocked Views
Grade of slopes will not be changed. The district will install aesthetic tubular fencing instead of chain link.
The Elsinore Unified School District board has decided to move ahead with plans for the expansion plan with only minor changes, despite charges from some adjacent homeowners who say final construction will block their views.
The $7 million expansion includes new classrooms, a computer lab, upsized assembly and dining areas and a new outdoor play yard.
The district plans to provide aesthetic tubular fencing at the top of the slopes between homes and the school instead of chain link fencing. Also, the district plans to work with adjacent homeowners on the final selection of landscape material used on the slopes and the placement of trees.
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The district will pay for the cost of irrigation and maintenance of the slopes.
But the district will not change the grade of the slopes as requested by some adjacent homeowners. The homeowners are unhappy with the loss of views, which they say also reduces the value of their properties.
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They insist that the slopes are too steep and the ground level at the top of the slopes is too high. Consequently, views of the nearby baseball field and scenic surrounds have been lost.
The homeowners requested a more gradual slope that would extend the slope by 20 feet.
Extending the slope would mean reducing the size of the play yards.
A group of parents and teachers, who attended a special meeting of the district ths week, warned that the changes requested by the adjacent homeowners could add $50,000 or more on to the cost of the project, which is already underway. Completion of the expansion, conducted by project contractor Escondido, CA-based Echo Pacific, is set for late this year.
“The cost of changing plans comes out of our classrooms,” said parent Leanne Paul.
A change at this time would impact the kids, she said.
Several residents countered that they were not informed about the steep slopes or the blocked views. They insist that $50,000 added to a $7 million project would not impact the children.
Cost of the improved fencing for the slopes is estimated at $5,000. Re-grading the slopes would have cost $22,000 and would have meant new designs and extra costs for irrigation and additional plantings.
