AGENDA NO: 4.c - CM Update
MEETING DATE: January 14, 2025
January 7, 2025
Trustee President Marilyn Rodger and Superintendent Eric Prater, Ed.D.
San Luis Coastal Unified School District
1500 Lizzie Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Sent via email: [email protected]; [email protected] Re: Morro Elementary School property Dear President Rodger and Superintendent Dr. Prater,
I hope you had a wonderful winter break and are off to a great start in 2025. On behalf of the City of Morro Bay, I would like to thank you and your staff for engaging the City in discussions regarding a potential purchase of the Morro Elementary School property. Although my involvement began only in 2023, I understand that our two agencies have been in dialogue about this property for several years. I was impressed by the responsiveness, transparency and patience demonstrated by you and your District staff. I would like to recognize yourself, Superintendent Eric Prater, Assistant Superintendent Ryan Pinkerton and Attorney Howard Freiman for your respective expertise, collaborative spirit, and commitment to open and constructive discussions during this process.
Recently, the District staff advised the City that the District decided to formally dispose of the property as soon as possible and would like to offer the City the opportunity to consider purchasing it at the highest and the best use valuation option as outlined in the District’s 2024 appraisal. The District further communicated its willingness to partner with the City, while requesting a clear and timely response from the City. Understanding the timeliness of this decision, on December 16, 2024, as soon as the new City Council was seated, we met in closed session for this purpose.
Council evaluated the purchase of the Morro Elementary school site and considered the District’s offer. After thoughtful deliberation including consideration of public comments and staff analysis, the Council collectively decided not to make an offer at this time based on the terms presented by the District. It was a very difficult decision as all council members felt a deep connection to the property and genuinely appreciated the site’s historic and present significance.
While the City is not currently in a position to proceed with a purchase as offered, we want to highlight our role as the local land use authority for this site. We would like to continue to collaborate with the District and any future owner to optimize the potential of this site for the betterment of our collective community. Therefore, we would appreciate staying informed as the District moves forward with plans to dispose of the property. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, [email protected]; or Yvonne Kimball, the City Manager, [email protected].
Lastly, I would like to bring to your attention that since the District’s Board meeting on December 17, 2024, where Resolution 15-24-25 was adopted, declaring the Morro Elementary site as exempt surplus land, community members reached out to me and have expressed interest in exploring options for purchasing the property. Consequently, City has decided to host an information session in January or February for staff to provide land use information about the site.
We would like to invite your District staff to participate and provide insights from the property owner's perspective. City staff will reach out to Dr. Prater and Mr. Pinkerton to coordinate this meeting. We look forward to a productive community meeting.
Sincerely,
Carla Wixom
Mayor
City of Morro Bay
cc: City Council
Yvonne Kimball, City Manager
Airlin Singewald, Community Development Director