By Parnia Mazhar
Staff Writer
Parts of Costa’s campus have been under construction for the past four years as part of the Measure BB project, causing inconveniences for students and staff. The completion of this multi-step construction project will provide for a more positive overall experience for all students and staff members, as they are able to navigate campus easier and enjoy renovated facilities.
Mira Costa has been going through a three-phase process, renovating the quad, the math and science building, the band and orchestra rooms and a number of other classrooms. The project, funded by Measure BB, costs a total of $67.4 million for the renovation of Costa’s grounds.
Despite the inconveniences, the construction caused, the timeliness of the overall project created minimal disruptions for students.
Because of the completion of the third phase, members of orchestra and band can now enjoy high-quality classrooms with sound-proof walls and higher ceilings that will benefit Costa’s music programs tremendously.
According to band teacher Joel Carlson, the music rooms were last updated 25 years ago. With these new, necessary improvements, students and music instructors will be able to effectively hear and improve their music.
The Mustang Mall, one of the newest additions to the school, contains a more centralized seating venue for all students, which is convenient for Associated Student Body events and pep rallies at lunch. It also contains a small cafeteria, opening soon, which will make purchasing food less time-consuming.
Some argue that the Mustang Mall should have incorporated turf rather than grass to prevent excess water waste. According to the Synthetic Turf Council, the maintenance required for turf generally costs two to three times less than natural grass. Although Principal Dr. Ben Dale stated that turf is currently outside of Costa’s budget, using turf may be a practical investment for the future.
Even though a majority of the campus has been modernized, certain areas have yet to be renovated. The English buildings near the library have not yet been renovated, even though they lack necessities such as air conditioning and high-quality televisions that other classes have.
According to Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees President Bill Fournell, the renovations were not based on subject or age, but on the district’s ability to modernize the largest number of classrooms in the most cost-efficient way.
The district’s methodology in choosing which classes to renovate is logical because it maximized the Measure BB funds.
According to Fournell, the new math and science building was built on the site of a former parking lot to keep the majority of the campus open and usable for students. This effectively minimized the construction’s effect on students and staff and reduced the amount of money spent on renting temporary classrooms.
According to Dale, there has been discussion regarding the renovations of the English classrooms, but no plan has been officially determined. The planning of these future renovations should be expedited to quickly ameliorate the disparity between learning environments that the construction has created.
The actual completion of the Measure BB construction will be beneficial for students, but the district should look into updating the older buildings when additional funds become available.
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