New high school site

A lifelong Buena Vista/Miller roads resident who worked at Thomas Orchards as a teen; she supports the school site, saying solar panels are a worse eyesore and road upgrades plus sidewalks would help the lower-income west side.

Missed having Gavilan College adjacent to the high school; she urged a second look at what best serves students' futures.

Argued Best Road is better suited given all the new housing at Fairview, Santana Ranch and nearby; said Buena Vista is already dangerous at school drop-off and prime farmland shouldn't be taken.

The district superintendent explained the pivot to an east-west campus near existing homes, touting walkability, utilities on West Side Road, and reduced ag encroachment versus the old site.

The district's broker/consultant said the site isn't on the tiger salamander review map, and explained why Best Road fails: few students nearby, fire and fault zones, no water or sewer, and dozens of protected species.

Followed up that Santana Ranch is already turning students away and a K-12 charter is coming to Kmart, so South County will need a high school too — think twice before using ag land.