Measure BB ends stage 1, continues onto stage 2

Jamie Kelleher
Staff Writer

Measure BB, the city of Manhattan Beach’s renovation bond for Mira Costa High School is now well into stage 2, the renovation of the finger buildings as stage 1, the construction of the math and science building was completed over this past summer.

The new predicted date of completion for Measure BB is now before fall of 2015, which is 2 years behind the initial prediction for Dec 31, 2013. Previous setbacks were due to unforeseen electrical wiring issues.

“We’re very confident in this plan and have been very happy with the fact that we have recently been able to stay on schedule and on budget,” School Board member Bill Fournell said.

Many teachers and students are not as pleased as the School Board with this new construction. There are many setbacks the construction has caused on campus, including longer routes to get to certain classes, which may result in loss of class time and overcrowded locker halls.

“We [the teachers] understand that it’s not easy to get a project complete before the beginning of the school year,” Manhattan Beach Unified Teacher’s Associated President Shawn Chen said, “But there are just a lot of loose ends and it seems like there are a lot of unplanned elements that could have been wrapped up in a neater fashion. Many teachers are upset that they seem to be picking up the slack.”

Even though Measure BB will be completed in the fall of 2015, construction at Mira Costa will not necessarily conclude at that time. New renovation ideas that are not yet formal and would not be enacted for many years are constantly being suggested. Among these ideas is a fields project which would level the elevations of Mira Costa’s three fields, renovate said fields, and rid the school of the portable classrooms by the West Hallway. It would also remove the unused dirt hill behind Fischer Gym, and it may commence even before phase three of Measure BB comes to a close. Further down the road, the administration has also considered changing Fischer Gym into a tri-level gym, remodelling the interior of the Cafeteria, and possibly remodelling the English classrooms. All these ideas are not yet formal and would not be enacted for many years, but the revitalization will almost always be present on campus.

“It’s hard to find a school that’s not constantly renovating,” Principal Ben Dale said, “The question is how much do we tear up at one time. It’s always important that we don’t create more inconveniences for students.”