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Prado school site is a perfect site for a school since there are 674 children in the area. It's right <br />next to a park, has four natural boundaries and the site was designed with a school in mind. <br /> <br /> Sue Evans, 5610 Paseo Navarro, stated she became involved in the Del Prado issue in <br />1983 when her son began kindergarten at Walnut Grove school. The District projected that <br />there would be 75 new kindergarten students entering when he began, but 150 students showed <br />up and this misprojection has followed him through his school years (he's now a senior at <br />Amador). She asked why the School District has so much power over the community. Politics <br />should not play a part in what is best for the children. She asked why the City is considering <br />amending the General Plan to accommodate a developer. If Council decides to rezone she asked <br />that the following be considered: 1) that the developer is getting a good price for the property, <br />2) widen the Hansen end, 3) there shouldn't be a land swap; keep the 145 feet as is at the Black <br />end because it is used by the kids of the community, 4) and add the property that was to be <br />swapped at the Hansen end to widen it. She also commented that there are heritage trees on the <br />property which will be destroyed if this development goes in. The single story homes that will <br />be going in are the same height as the two story homes currently in the neighborhood. One <br />good thing that has come out of this twelve year fight is that the School District is looking at <br />the problems at Walnut Grove school. The multi-purpose room will be nice but it is not a fix-all <br />for Walnut Grove. <br /> <br /> Shawn Copenhagen, 5963 Corte Venado, urged Council not to amend the land use. She <br />felt giving up the land now will make it impossible to recoup it in the future. If the land use <br />is amended, she asked for consideration on: 1) not making the land swap, and 2) by placing a <br />street next to the park, accidents are likely to occur. <br /> <br /> Greg Evans, 5610 Paseo Navarro, agreed that Walnut Grove school needed improvements <br />because it is impacted. Right now there is a committee that is going to recommend smaller <br />elementary school class sizes which means there has to be more classrooms. It appears that <br />most of the elementary schools will end up with portables. If the General Plan is amended for <br />the development then the land is gone forever. He urged Council to vote against the plan. He <br />felt the land swap was unnecessary and felt the development could be built-out at under thirty <br />homes with the excess land going back for park use. <br /> <br /> Steven Dowding, 5639 Paseo Navarro, commented he is still in favor of a school being <br />built at the Del Prado site. He felt the multi-purpose room to be built at Walnut Grove school <br />is nice but is not the mitigating factor. He felt the issue isn't how many kids can be put in a <br />large room but rather how few kids can be put in a small room. <br /> <br /> Laura Griffith, 5622 Paseo Navarro, stated that there are over 900 students at Walnut <br />Grove school. She felt it was a lot of children for a small school site, where the Del Prado site <br />is much larger. She felt it is dangerous putting kids next to a quarry. Walls don't work; boys <br />throw rocks, climb walls, play tag, etc. She felt the School Board is not taking the kids into <br />consideration. She felt education is more important than a multi-purpose room. <br /> <br />1 O/17/95 - 14 - <br /> <br /> <br />