RANCHO SANTA FE — The Rancho Santa Fe School District decided at its Jan. 12 board meeting that for the time being it would not repave the Dacus parking lot. The property currently serves as the teacher’s parking lot. The board’s point of view was based on a cost estimate with a price tag of $325,744.
Debra Vauhn-Cleff of Webb Cleff Architecture and Engineering was on hand to discuss what it would take to move forward with a paved parking lot project. She created a preliminary design on those components. The estimated cost included a new parking lot of 70 spaces, a new concrete walkway, and new striped crosswalk. Also part of the components were addressing storm drainage regulations and keeping the footprint of the existing grading, she said.
While this was only a discussion item at the meeting, Superintendent David Jaffe told the board he would look into researching a site cleanup and regrade which would also include putting down some gravel. According to Jaffe, a local landscaping company quoted a cleanup like this at $14,000.
Jaffe and the board agreed that the estimate to pave the parking lot was shocking. It was Jaffe’s recommendation to the board to look at the cleanup solution and hold off on the concrete for now.
When another large project came along in the future for the school, he said, then they may consider at that time to incorporate the paving of the parking lot with that project.
“That gives us the opportunity to go for state money as well when we are looking to do major projects that can offset the cost of it,” Jaffe said.
Due to the high amounts of rainfall, the Dacus parking lot has been impacted as opposed to previous years.
“But we can get through it. I think if we clean it up, if we raise up the gravel a little bit higher, and simple grade it, then we can eliminate the puddling that takes place,” he said. “So that would be my recommendation for this.”
The board then wanted to know how many parking spaces were currently available at Dacus. Jaffe shared there were 51 and there were usually 10 to 15 spots that were empty.
“I’ve been a big proponent of doing something really nice to that parking lot, but this price is too much for me,” said Tyler Seltzer, RSF School District vice president.
And the board agreed.
Jaffe said he would go in the “cleanup” direction and gather other estimates and bring them back to the board for discussion and consideration.
