New Study of Belmont Ordered
The state has ordered the Los Angeles school district to conduct a study of environmental hazards at the unfinished Belmont Learning Complex, giving renewed momentum to those who want to complete the campus west of downtown.
Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation last week requiring the district to perform the evaluation, which also must examine ways for protecting the public against any contamination at the site.
The district halted an environmental study of Belmont two years ago amid uncertainty over the project’s future. The Board of Education decided to abandon the high school in January 2000 because of concerns about explosive methane and toxic hydrogen sulfide beneath the school.
Backers of the project have long maintained that it can be made safe, a position echoed publicly by state regulators.
The new study, Davis and others said, is designed to finally answer the safety question.
“Until all the facts are known, it is not wise to abandon a school that is all but completed and which would allow [as many as 5,000] high school students to have a neighborhood school,†Davis said in a written message to the Legislature.
Belmont backers applauded the governor’s words.
“I think there are a lot of people looking at the Belmont site and wondering why it isn’t functioning as a high school,†said county Supervisor Gloria Molina, who at one point offered the school board $1 million from her discretionary fund to complete the environmental studies.
Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles), who wrote the new legislation, said she believes the environmental problems can be moderated.
“The question is how, and how much will it cost?†Goldberg said. “Is it worth building once you have the answers? We need to do the science.â€
The new evaluation comes as L.A. Unified moves ahead on a separate front to finish the school.
The district has sought proposals from private bidders to clean up the environmental hazards and complete the campus. At least three companies are expected to submit proposals this week.
Supt. Roy Romer said he believes those plans would dovetail with the state’s new testing requirement.
Under the legislation, L.A. Unified must prepare its evaluation by Jan. 1, 2003, and submit it to the state Department of Toxic Substances Control.
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