Selling the historical Nevada City Elementary campus is off the table, Nevada City School District trustees ruled Tuesday.
The decision came as board members received a report from a fact-finding committee recommending against selling the site or using it as a permanent courthouse.
“It was a nice surprise,” said Terri Andersen, spokeswoman for Friends of NCE, a community group that lobbied hard for keeping the site a school. “I think it shows they're going in a really good direction.”
Read the whole article hereThe Union Article: Campus not for sale, but could be up for rent soon.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
NCE featured in Preservation Magazine Online article: Trouble in a Gold Rush Town
I was sent this article, stating it was online today at Preservation Magazine. It doesnt seem to show up, so am reposting it below until I can update it with the link.
From Preservation Magazine:
Trouble in a Gold Rush Town
Two historic buildings threatened in Nevada City, California By Elizabeth McNamara | Online Only | Jan. 31, 2011
With a rich history rooted in the Gold Rush, Nevada City, Calif., has never taken historic preservation lightly. The town of 2,500 residents, nestled at 3,000 feet in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada west of Lake Tahoe, boasts a downtown district that has been listed on the National Register since 1986, and tourists and filmmakers have flocked there ever since. However, two historic buildings facing uncertain futures here have put the preservation-minded residents of this small community into an uproar. Last year, the school district—facing declining student enrollment—was forced to shutter one of two elementary schools to cut $1.4 million from the $9 million budget. The two schools under consideration: the historic Nevada City Elementary and Gold Run Elementary.
"I had many sleepless nights over the decision to close a school in such a small community," said Nevada City Superintendent Roxanne Gilpatric in an e-mail. "There are times when, regardless of one's personal opinions, one must act in the best interest of the students." Nevada City Elementary was built in 1937 by renowned San Francisco architect William Mooser as part of the Works Projects Administration. It was neoclassically inspired with an Art Deco facade, and its 12 classrooms were connected by internal hallways—a rare feature in California public schools. (Mooser also designed the San Francisco Maritime Museum, Crissy Field, and many of the buildings in Ghiradelli Square.) Gold Run Elementary, on the other hand, was not historic and had no architecturally significant features.
A committee, formed according to state Department of Education guidelines and consisting of staff and parents representing both Gold Run and Nevada City Elementary, researched the logistics. And in a state where budget gaps have made national news, numbers spoke more than historic significance. Annual utility bills for Nevada City Elementary totaled about $65,000, but Gold Run's expenses were only $40,000, according to Gilpatric. Plus, Gilpatric says, Gold Run had a larger lot for portables, should the district grow again. In the end, the committee recommended closing Nevada City Elementary.
"We didn't think in a million years they would ever close that school," says Nevada City resident Krisanne Heaton, whose son attended Nevada City Elementary. "There is a rotunda and it's almost like two arms—you walk in and it envelops you, gives you a hug. It was a space that you met other parents, bonded with other families, and it made me feel safe about the kids."
But in June 2010, the school district closed the 74-year-old school. It was a decision, Heaton says, that "utterly shocked" the community.
Nevada City's second threatened historic building is the town's massive courthouse at 201 Church Street, where the courts have stood since 1864. The structure features an Art Deco facade, also added during the 1930s as part of a Works Progress Administration restoration project.
But last year, California's Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and the Superior Court of Nevada County declared the current space "unsafe, substandard, overcrowded, and functionally deficient." And plans to vacate the building and build a new, 84,000-square-foot courthouse for an estimated $108 million were announced last spring. The project, slated for completion in 2015, would be funded by judicial branch fees, penalties, and assessments, with no impact on the state's general fund.
Teresa Ruano, spokesperson for AOC, says remodeling the current building or rebuilding on the current site, would be cost-prohibitive, in part because those options require the court to make a temporary move during construction. "There are space issues and seismic issues [with the courthouse]," Ruano says. "And it's not [always] cost-effective to renovate a historic building.” Residents see a connection between the two threatened buildings. "[What's happening with the courthouse is] so relevant with what's happened with NCE," Heaton says. "Really, what it has come down to is that the state continues to make development codes that go completely against maintaining old buildings. There are ridiculous restrictions that make it impossible to renovate these structures and meet code.”
To complicate matters, officials from AOC came to an August 2010 board meeting expressing interest in buying the two-acre Nevada City Elementary school site as a way to keep the proposed new courthouse downtown. News of this possibility was not formally announced until December, spurring conspiracy theory rumors among residents, including one well-read opinion piece in the local paper. School district officials say a conspiracy is "simply not true.”
"Yes, three months after we decided to close the school, the [Administrative Office of the Courts] surfaced. They said they were interested [in buying the site]," Gilpatric says. "But you don't discuss things you don't have offers for.” But even if the Nevada City Council comes up with a cost-effective way to renovate the courthouse, it is still unclear how much sway their resolution would have with a state-led project. School board members have not announced any decisions about how they will use the Nevada City Elementary school site, but the committee plans to make a recommendation to the school board at a meeting on Jan. 25.
"It's such awesome architecture in the center of downtown," Heaton says. "But I guess some people do not appreciate the history of Nevada City, or they see it as something for the tourists. They know it's something that makes us money, but they need to understand its value as an integral part of the community beyond its facade."
From Preservation Magazine:
Trouble in a Gold Rush Town
Two historic buildings threatened in Nevada City, California By Elizabeth McNamara | Online Only | Jan. 31, 2011
With a rich history rooted in the Gold Rush, Nevada City, Calif., has never taken historic preservation lightly. The town of 2,500 residents, nestled at 3,000 feet in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada west of Lake Tahoe, boasts a downtown district that has been listed on the National Register since 1986, and tourists and filmmakers have flocked there ever since. However, two historic buildings facing uncertain futures here have put the preservation-minded residents of this small community into an uproar. Last year, the school district—facing declining student enrollment—was forced to shutter one of two elementary schools to cut $1.4 million from the $9 million budget. The two schools under consideration: the historic Nevada City Elementary and Gold Run Elementary.
"I had many sleepless nights over the decision to close a school in such a small community," said Nevada City Superintendent Roxanne Gilpatric in an e-mail. "There are times when, regardless of one's personal opinions, one must act in the best interest of the students." Nevada City Elementary was built in 1937 by renowned San Francisco architect William Mooser as part of the Works Projects Administration. It was neoclassically inspired with an Art Deco facade, and its 12 classrooms were connected by internal hallways—a rare feature in California public schools. (Mooser also designed the San Francisco Maritime Museum, Crissy Field, and many of the buildings in Ghiradelli Square.) Gold Run Elementary, on the other hand, was not historic and had no architecturally significant features.
A committee, formed according to state Department of Education guidelines and consisting of staff and parents representing both Gold Run and Nevada City Elementary, researched the logistics. And in a state where budget gaps have made national news, numbers spoke more than historic significance. Annual utility bills for Nevada City Elementary totaled about $65,000, but Gold Run's expenses were only $40,000, according to Gilpatric. Plus, Gilpatric says, Gold Run had a larger lot for portables, should the district grow again. In the end, the committee recommended closing Nevada City Elementary.
"We didn't think in a million years they would ever close that school," says Nevada City resident Krisanne Heaton, whose son attended Nevada City Elementary. "There is a rotunda and it's almost like two arms—you walk in and it envelops you, gives you a hug. It was a space that you met other parents, bonded with other families, and it made me feel safe about the kids."
But in June 2010, the school district closed the 74-year-old school. It was a decision, Heaton says, that "utterly shocked" the community.
Nevada City's second threatened historic building is the town's massive courthouse at 201 Church Street, where the courts have stood since 1864. The structure features an Art Deco facade, also added during the 1930s as part of a Works Progress Administration restoration project.
But last year, California's Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and the Superior Court of Nevada County declared the current space "unsafe, substandard, overcrowded, and functionally deficient." And plans to vacate the building and build a new, 84,000-square-foot courthouse for an estimated $108 million were announced last spring. The project, slated for completion in 2015, would be funded by judicial branch fees, penalties, and assessments, with no impact on the state's general fund.
Teresa Ruano, spokesperson for AOC, says remodeling the current building or rebuilding on the current site, would be cost-prohibitive, in part because those options require the court to make a temporary move during construction. "There are space issues and seismic issues [with the courthouse]," Ruano says. "And it's not [always] cost-effective to renovate a historic building.” Residents see a connection between the two threatened buildings. "[What's happening with the courthouse is] so relevant with what's happened with NCE," Heaton says. "Really, what it has come down to is that the state continues to make development codes that go completely against maintaining old buildings. There are ridiculous restrictions that make it impossible to renovate these structures and meet code.”
To complicate matters, officials from AOC came to an August 2010 board meeting expressing interest in buying the two-acre Nevada City Elementary school site as a way to keep the proposed new courthouse downtown. News of this possibility was not formally announced until December, spurring conspiracy theory rumors among residents, including one well-read opinion piece in the local paper. School district officials say a conspiracy is "simply not true.”
"Yes, three months after we decided to close the school, the [Administrative Office of the Courts] surfaced. They said they were interested [in buying the site]," Gilpatric says. "But you don't discuss things you don't have offers for.” But even if the Nevada City Council comes up with a cost-effective way to renovate the courthouse, it is still unclear how much sway their resolution would have with a state-led project. School board members have not announced any decisions about how they will use the Nevada City Elementary school site, but the committee plans to make a recommendation to the school board at a meeting on Jan. 25.
"It's such awesome architecture in the center of downtown," Heaton says. "But I guess some people do not appreciate the history of Nevada City, or they see it as something for the tourists. They know it's something that makes us money, but they need to understand its value as an integral part of the community beyond its facade."
Sunday, January 23, 2011
We need you again! - Final Public Hearing on the fate of NCE
This Tuesday, January 25,
Seven Hills School
The Nevada City School Board will accept the 711 Committee report, take public input, and take action on the final fate of NCE at this most critical meeting. These are the actual decision makers, everything else has been a warm up to this night!
Please come one more time. Bring a friend!
The School Board needs to see the same fabulous crowd that came to the 711 public hearing (thank you!). We made a big difference with the committee! The public opinion was clear and overwhelming for keeping NCE a school. However the School Board needs to hear it for themselves.
Please come and say it all again:
Keep NCE a School
It’s the only option!
Thank you all for your eloquent and passionate support for NCE. It is being heard.
Hope to see you there. Below is the Options table for the meeting:
It’s the only option!
(There are 5 ways to do it)
Here are the Friends of NCE positions on the options being considered:
Option | Friends of NCE position |
| Yes! This is our preferred option. Gold Run may be more leasable because of its location and small individual structures which can be leased separately. |
c. Ask existing charter to change their charter to NCSD. | Yes! We would be happy to see a charter school at NCE also. It will keep NCE a school. |
3. | Yes! We like this alternative also. At least 2 charter schools which have many students who live in the |
3. | No. Takes school out of school use. Takes school out of control of our |
4. Permanent new courthouse | No. An 84,000 sq. ft. building in the heart of this historic residential neighborhood which would demolish our historic school is completely unacceptable. |
5. Temporary use by courts while rebuilding | No. This is also unacceptable. The opportunity to return NCE to use as a regular or charter school exists now. We will lose this opportunity if we do not act. Major changes to building will be required harming potential future reuse as school. There are many other existing vacant spaces in and near Finally, temporary could become permanent depending on State funding or if acquisition difficulties arise on other sites. |
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Welcome!
Welcome to the Save Nevada City Elementary (NCE) blog & site. The purpose of this page is to relay info about the closure of NCE and other related stories. We hope to be able to document important happenings of the past, the present and the future of NCE.
Watch for updates as we gather more information. Send any submissions, pictures, stories, etc to saveNCES@gmail.com.
Watch for updates as we gather more information. Send any submissions, pictures, stories, etc to saveNCES@gmail.com.
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