MOORPARK : Forum to Be Held on Sale of School

The Moorpark City Council and school board have agreed to hold a joint public forum to try to resolve a conflict over the sale of the former Moorpark Memorial High School site, which has resulted in a bitter two-year legal dispute.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Mayor Bernardo Perez said of the public meetings planned with the school board.

Perez said City Manager Steve Kueny and District Supt. Thomas Duffy will meet in the next few days to arrange a series of meetings between the two panels.

Two weeks ago, Perez sent a letter to the school board calling for a joint public meeting. The board refused to meet in public because some members felt it would compromise the district’s legal position.

However, the board reversed its decision this week after it received a letter from Perez renewing the request for a meeting.

“We have high hopes,” said school board member Tom Baldwin, who has long supported the idea of a joint meeting. “But we are still taking a wait-and-see attitude.”

The city has offered to buy part of the 26-acre campus.

The school board has refused the city’s offer, saying that the district wants high-density development approved for the Casey Road site to generate more revenue. But city officials contend that the downtown area cannot handle a large increase in traffic.