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School board OKs plan to buy center

By Natalie Ragus/Staff Writer

The school board of the Lucia Mar Unified School District has cleared the way for the district to buy the embattled Oceano Community Center for $1.7 million.

The trustees voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow district lawyers to begin negotiations with the board of directors of the Oceano Community Center Inc.

Although the community center opened less than two years ago, it is in danger of closing because the nonprofit organization can afford to make its mortgage payments only through this month.

That sparked a near-frantic search for a local buyer interested in preserving the building as a community center.

Lucia Mar is an ideal buyer because the district would get optimal use out of the facility, while keeping it accessible for public use, proponents of the sale said.

“I’m very inspired with last night’s decision,” said Katcho Achadjian, a San Luis Obispo County supervisor who was instrumental in getting the center up and running.

The facility, which opened in June 2006, cost approximately $4.8 million to build.

The 15,380-square-foot building has a state-of-the-art solar heating and cooling system, a full-size basketball court, a gym, board rooms and classrooms, among other amenities.

The building also boasts a commercial-quality kitchen, which the district could use to house its new Culinary Arts Academy.

Youth sport leagues heavily use the center’s athletic facilities, and local residents often rent space in the center to host quinceaneras and other large celebrations.

The school district itself already relies heavily on use of the facility for adult education and school-related events.

Though the construction bond that provided the funds to build the community center has kept it afloat until now, the money is quickly running out.

The building could be thrown into foreclosure as early as June, when there will not be enough funds left to make the monthly payment on a $1.7 million construction loan from Coast National Bank, prompting center officials to approach the district.

Lucia Mar has identified various facilities funds — which state law dictates the district can use only for the upkeep and purchase of property — that it could use to buy the center.

As an added bonus, a donor has already agreed to put $500,000 toward maintaining the building, and community center directors are in talks with a potential donor regarding a proposed endowment fund to cover operational costs.

The school district will assume responsibility for setting facility rental fees if the purchase goes through, and district officials said the endowments would help keep those fees reasonable.

“If we can (get) that endowment, that donated money ... the money can be used to provide programming at either a reduced cost or possibly to provide scholarships,” said Tom Butler, Oceano Elementary School principal and president of the center’s board of directors.

Still, some people said they were skeptical of the district’s ability to keep rental costs low enough that youth organizations and average citizens could afford to use the facility.

“They’re going to raise the fees,” said Mike Pelayo, president of the Central Coast Youth Sports Association. “If they don’t, I will be shocked. Realistically, if your income and your outgoing costs aren’t the same, something has to change.”

Butler said the district will explore the fee schedule when the time comes.

nragus@timespressrecorder.com