Issue date: April 01, 1998
By JENNIFER DESAI
Two neighbors of Woodside Elementary School objected to the placement of a classroom building close to their home during a recent community forum held to discuss the school district's planned construction project and bond issue.
The Woodside Elementary School's Committee for Yes on Measure A sponsored the forum on March 24 to discuss the school district's proposed construction of a gym and two-story classroom building, to be financed by a $10.2 million bond issue. Voters will decide on the bond proposal April 14.
At the forum, Woodside School neighbors Ernie and Lyn Erickson told committee members that they discovered that the proposed construction project would place the classroom building 40 feet from their property line.
"The school has always been a good neighbor, but it isn't being one now," Ms. Erickson said. "We want to have the board come over and see what the construction would look like from our back window."
Heidi Brown, co-president of the committee supporting the bond, admits that the bond's supporters "could have been more aggressive" in inviting neighbors to construction committee meetings. Members of the committee, as well as representatives from Gordon H. Chong, the plan's San Francisco architects, are scheduled to meet with the Ericksons on April 1.
"We feel it's unfair to impact a neighbor in this way," Mr. Erickson said. "But we're starting so late in the process, we have to get their attention."
Ms. Brown said that they will compromise in whatever way they can. "We're killing ourselves to find a solution," she said. "The district has always been interested in working with its neighbors, but we also have to stay focused on the greater problem: the school's facilities are outdated, and we need the bond to fix this. We're not a rural school; we're not little anymore. And there's nothing we can do about that."
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