Schools
Oddstad Sports Complex Discussions Continue
Monday evening community sports groups and two Pacifica School District board members meet to discuss options for the Oddstad site.
Local sports groups and Pacifica School District Board members continue to discuss possibilities for leasing the Oddstad Elementary School site for the purpose of funding a new sports complex.
The site has been declared surplus, and the PSD recently sent out requests for proposals for the project.
“We’re looking for what idea is out there that will pay us annual rent and isn’t like a nuclear power plant or toxic dump,” said PSD Board vice president, Mike O’Neill. “The only interest I know has been expressed by a church."
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The district has yet to receive any proposals, but expects them to come in closer to the deadline, which is June 25.
O’Neill estimates that upkeep of an empty building would cost between $30,000 and $40,000 per year. Since the building was closed down as a school several years ago, there have been incidents of vandalism that cost the district to address. Some locals advocate tearing the building down. There is no cost estimate for demolition. Kiewit Construction is currently a tenant of the building.
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If the district is able to lease the property, it can use the proceeds for its general fund.
“A lot of people would like to see a sports complex back there, but you need a funder—someone that’s going to write a check,” O’Neill said.
If the district receives no useable proposals by the deadline, the sports complex plan will likely be abandoned.
Tonight representatives from two local soccer leagues, a baseball league, and a softball league will meet O’Neill and a second district board member to discuss their options. O’Neill hopes that the sports groups will organize to form a common entity in preparation for working with a potential contractor.
“Tonight’s meeting is basically to tell these sports groups ‘the boat’s sailing,” O’Neill said. “The district is going to make a decision with the sports complex, you need to come together yesterday.’”
The district's next meeting on the issue will be June 26, the day following the deadline for proposals.
A previous version of this article implied that the Oddstad building was currently empty. The article has been changed to state that Kiewit Construction is a current tenant.
