Have a safe and Happy Halloween

page 12
fire
School Board and LPCF Response
Rachelle Lopp
LPJUSD board president
Sanjay Khandelwal
LPCF president
A fire destroyed much of the Loma Prieta
Community Center on the night of August
30. We lost the community room, the
commercial kitchen, the offices of the Loma
Prieta Community Foundation, Theatre
in the Mountains, and the Loma Public
Education Fund, district facilities and IT
offices, the Sheriff’s substation, bathrooms,
storage rooms, art room, and the music/
dance room. The main gym is currently
red-tagged and will be until the demolition
of the burned section is complete and the
structural engineer can affirm the overall
safety of the remaining structure. Because
this is a school building, the process is
complex and involves the Department of
the State Architect in Sacramento, as well
as Santa Cruz County officials. The district
is working with Supervisor John Leopold
and Assemblyman Mark Stone’s office to
expedite the process.
The school district is working to ensure
our students’ education continues smoothly.
LPCF and other impacted community
groups are partnering with the school to sort
out the next steps. The school district has
insurance and is working closely with the
insurance carriers and government oversight
agencies. We don’t know a lot, but many
things are in motion.
We appreciate the many community
members who have come forward with
offers to help. We anticipate needs beyond
what insurance will cover, although we do
not yet know specific needs. If you would
like to help the community center, LPCF
has opened a restoration fund at lpcf.org.
If you would like to donate to the school,
email Eileen Bevans at e.bevans@loma.k12.
ca.us.
Stay tuned and thank you for the support.
The community center was a building
for our whole community and we plan to
inform you as we navigate the road ahead.
Look for more information as it enfolds
on lpcf.org, www.loma.k12.ca.us, and in the
Mountain Network News.
We are very grateful to the firefighters
who contained the blaze to one building
and to the community for the outpouring of
support.
Reflections on the Fire
Corey Kidwell
Superintendent/Principal,
Loma Prieta Joint Union School District
As you can imagine, I get a lot of
questions these days. The list of what I
know is much shorter than the list of what
I don’t know. During the coming weeks
and months, the recovery process to restore
facilities in the gymnasium and community
center will unfold, and solutions will emerge
as we gather information. These are some of
the questions for which we just don’t have
the answers:
• How long will it take to re-open?
• Will we rebuild exactly what we had?
(Will the Department of the State
Architect and Office of Public School
Construction in Sacramento allow
that?)
• How much of the financial loss will
be covered by insurance?
• How will we fund the gap in
replacement costs?
• Where will the Theatre in the
Mountains productions be held?
• When can we see the damage?
• How bad is it?
The list of things I know is much shorter
and more important in the long run:
• This community rises to whatever
challenge is presented.
• We have great local partners,
committed elected officials, and an
appreciation of our shared resources.
• This community rallies when it’s
important, and people who may be
on opposite sides of some issues find
common ground when it matters.
• We will find a way to restore the
essential elements of what was lost, and
discover new opportunities we never
imagined.
• Even in the face of this disaster, we
will have some fun along the way to
recovery.
I know these things because I have been
taught the “Loma Prieta way” by our
mountain community. I have lived and
learned alongside you for ten years. I’ve seen
us falter, disagree, and struggle. I’ve seen us
rise, forgive, challenge one another to be
better, find common ground, and create a
shared future.
I’ve seen our students learn from you as
well. On the first Friday of each school year,
we have an all-district, K-8 assembly in the
gymnasium. It is one of my favorite annual
events because it showcases the connections
Mountain Network News
The pictures taken at this year’s K-8 assembly
may be the last in the gymnasium this year.
our students establish, and the roots they
lay down. The oldest students are protective
of the younger ones. The youngest are a
bit in awe of the bigger children. This year
the C.T. English students reconnected with
their former buddies from their elementaryschool
years.
Looking at the pictures we took at that
assembly, I realize they may be the last in
the gymnasium this year. What I see in these
images is a reflection of the mountain spirit
of caring and connection that rises above
our challenges. Our children feel connected
because it is a community value, not just a
school value. They care because their parents,
grandparents, neighbors, and mentors care
for the community in very real ways.
Thank you for building a strong
community that can stand the tests of time
and nature. I don’t have all the answers to
your many questions. I do know that we
will find the answers together.
october 2015