School and city officials explore Podesta site By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review March 16, 2005 An unofficial subcommittee of city and school leaders has begun to consider building a long-awaited middle school on a vacant field of high ground just west of Half Moon Bay High School. And that's an unthinkable alternative for some, considering Cabrillo Unified School District's long commitment to building a new middle school to the south, at a beleagured site known as Wavecrest. Wavecrest developers would like to include 217 homes, the school and a Boys and Girls Club among other amenities on a parcel west of Highway 1, south of Seymour Street. But with no ground-breaking ceremony in sight, there is now a revived interest in the 30-acre property sitting just below Half Moon Bay High School known as "Podesta." The parcel carries a current assessed value of $679,302 and is owned by Wayne Podesta of Daly City. Construction would likely require another frontage 5-acre lot owned by Keet Nerhan. That lot is assessed at $217,644. The possibility is being floated by a four-man group of City Council and school board members. Members of the unofficial subcommittee maintain that the discussions are preliminary, but the fact it's even being discussed at all is news. The group, which is comprised of school board Trustees Roy Salume and John Moseley, Mayor Jim Grady and City Councilman Mike Ferreira, has met less than five times since January in an effort to improve dialogue between the two bodies, its members say. However, it's clear that their conversations quickly shifted toward alternative sites for a new middle school. And there are plenty of reasons to do so. Voters passed a -million bond measure in 1995 to build a new middle school and the school district has been exclusively considering spending that money on a new school at Wavecrest since 1996. Wavecrest is the name given a star-crossed mixed-use development long planned for a field along Highway 1 in southern Half Moon Bay. Perhaps Jonathan Lundell put it best in his unsuccessful run for the school board last fall: "If you were in kindergarten when that bond passed you're in high school now." Salume has for years been among the most vocal proponents for building the new middle school on the Podesta property, even before he came to the school board in 2002. With Wavecrest plans idling for months of late, the city reportedly took that as an opportunity to approach the school district about the Podesta site. "It's probably no big secret that the city has approached us about Podesta," said Dwight Wilson, the school board's president. Salume seems pleased with the discourse thus far. "The Podesta site is my personal preference for where to put the middle school," Salume said. "I still personally think it's the best possible choice," he said. Much of his motivation for the discussion rests on a community need for a new middle school, wherever it may be, he said. "I think the best time to build the middle school was yesterday," the first-term trustee said. "I've got to tell you, we're looking at a whole bunch of alternatives now," he said. "I hope it comes to something." If the Wavecrest development gets sidetracked for another three to four years, it would put into question how the district should proceed, Wilson said. City officials, meanwhile, have been more reluctant to provide details about the informal discussions. The city is currently embroiled in a lawsuit filed by Wavecrest developers, which is keeping many of those involved on edge. "We've had a number of meetings with members of the school board across a multitude of subjects - one of those being how do we accelerate the process," Grady said. "I think what we're trying to do is create a win-win for all parties. I think that these are very delicate and complex preliminary discussions, and hopefully in the long run they'll be productive," he said. Ferreira said the city has been cooperative in its discussions with the school board trustees and is willing to help them explore any appropriate venues for the new middle school. The idea of alternative sites for the yet-to-be-built middle school met with a muted response from the Wavecrest developers. The school and other amenities, including a planned Boys and Girls Club, have been seen as public components that help to mitigate worries over new homes planned for the site. "As far as we know the school is still pretty committed to Wavecrest," said Pat Fitzgerald, one of the project's developers and primary manager of late. The development will proceed with or without the school, he said, adding that the school district is free to explore any options trustees deem worthwhile. Home