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Published on 01/25/1999 All articles from this issue

LASD renews Covington leases

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By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

Schools Roundup

Tenants leasing space at the Covington School site in Los Altos won't have to worry about packing up their belongings this June. The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees agreed at the regular meeting Jan. 19 to renew all eight of its tenants' year-to-year leases through June 2000.

The district made clear last year its intent to reopen Covington as a school within the next six years to relieve overcrowding at its other campuses. But when that will happen has remained unclear.

Superintendent Marge Gratiot said the district probably won't open Covington before 2001.

"We don't want students to start school in an environment that's not ready for them," she said.

Tenants have rented space at Covington since the site closed as a school in 1980. Their leases bring in about $400,000 to the school district annually, according to Randy Kenyon, assistant superintendent of business services.

Kenyon said the district is exploring options that would allow the tenants to relocate to other district sites. He said the district could provide tenants with ground leases - an arrangement where the district provides land only for lease.

LASD explores joint-use plans with the city of Los Altos

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees agreed at the regular meeting Jan. 4 to explore possible options for sharing the cost and use of the gymnasiums at Egan and Blach junior high schools with the city of Los Altos.

The board approved in concept the city's expansion of the gymnasiums at both schools and authorized city staff to develop a draft for the construction, operation and maintenance of the possible joint-use facilities.

This could allow the city to kick in additional funds to expand the gymnasiums in the school district's master plan by 2,500 square feet, allowing enough room to extend the existing basketball courts to regulation size at each site.

"We don't know what it's going to look like, but we want to work with city," said board president Kristine Salmon during the meeting. "I like the idea of combining our money for a better facility." The city council agreed in concept to a joint-use plan last November.

In Brief: The Santa Rita Parent-Teachers' Association raised approximately $60,000 for a new playground structure, which was dedicated Jan. 4 at the site of the former wooden play structure. The new structure meets current state safety standards and includes tunnels, slides and crawling areas.