Harbor Day School neighbors air their concerns

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- About 60 residents around Harbor Day School

gathered at a meeting called by Councilman Tom Thomson this week to vent

their frustrations about the building of a 40-foot-tall gymnasium.

Among those in attendance was a widow who broke down in tears, bitter

that her entire view has been blocked by the structures, said Spy Glass

Ridge resident H. Ross Miller. Apart from being an eyesore, many

community members are concerned that the towering building will devalue

their property.

“It went up about two or three weeks ago,” Miller said of the gym. “We

got no notice of it whatsoever.”

But, the city did in fact mail out a number of letters prior to the

proposal going to the Planning Commission and the City Council, said

Homer Bludau, city manager. He added that the school is legally entitled

to put up the building, which is part of its master plan.

“We followed all the procedures,” said Gary McKitterick, president of

the school’s board of trustees, adding that he had attended all the

official meetings and didn’t realize there was an issue brewing until

after construction started.

In an attempt to appease neighbors, school officials offered to

explore several compromises, including building a barrier of trees around

the gym and lowering the structure by 10 feet.

“If we were a corporation or a mean, ugly factory we really wouldn’t

have to do anything -- we want to do something,” McKitterick said. “We

believe the right thing to do is to assist our community.”

However, any option will cost a considerable amount of money.

It took several years for the school to come up with the money to

build the gymnasium in the first place. A wall of trees would cost from

$60,000 to $70,000, Bludau said.

While a lawsuit has yet to surface, the area is “loaded with lawyers

and doctors,” Miller said. Last month one resident, Martin Brower,

announced that he would begin discussing the possibility with his

attorney.

Once school officials review all the options, they said they will call

another meeting with the community.

But given the degree of frustration felt by residents, they may be

difficult to sway.

“Our group told them they could dig a hole deep in the ground and

start all over,” Miller said.