Mary Star's Road to Western

In today's Daily Breeze, there is an article about the blessing of the new Mary Star of the Sea High School campus on Sunday.

Included in that article are segments concerning what the future holds in store for the new site in northwest San Pedro.

There are many individuals, including 15Th. District Councilwoman Janice Hahn who want to have a road built between Western Avenue and the campus. I am not a supporter of this idea any longer.

When the campus was being discussed, proposed, planned, and in limited knowledge of the majority of residents in the larger area, folks got together and insisted that if the campus is built where it is now being built, a route between Western Avenue and the campus was mandatory.

If the school opens around Christmas time, either students and parents will use the Taper Avenue entrance, or they may be required to use a temporary route through the Ponte Vista development site, if the representatives from Mary Star and Bob Bisno can come to terms.

According to a very well placed source, the route between Western Avenue and the campus was and will be part of the conditional use permit for the new school.

What was not publicized was the fact that if a route between Western Avenue and the new campus if provided, students and parents would be required to use it, while the faculty, staff, deliveries, and visitors would still be allowed to use the Taper Avenue access, which would not be closed.

Western Avenue is already too crowded in most people's mind. Adding the youngest and least experienced drivers along a portion of Western that will already be filled with commuters and students and parents trying to get to and from Dodson Intermediate School will create even more headaches, I feel.

I don't know if your high-school age children are ever late for anything, especially in the morning. The thought of late students driving to get to class along Western Avenue does not set too right with me. Also adding into the mix are all the Dodson students that cross Western Avenue. Late, young high-school drivers and intermediate-school students crossing a four-lane road, do not mix well at all.

I attended Dodson during the time the Navy Housing was occupied, and I wish someone in a position to know would publish the number of pedestrian-car accidents that happened at Avenida Aprenda and Delasonde, as they intersect Western Avenue.

Some folks have suggested that students who have cars and parents dropping their kids off for the new campus, should have an alternate parking lot and be bussed into the new campus.

I wonder if there was any discussion during the development and planning processes about the "what if" question was ever asked and answered: "What if there can be no road between Western Avenue and Mary Star?" Actually, in talking with folks well informed about that time frame, I heard that the very strong promise of a road was necessary before the homeowners association closest to the campus would approve the new site.

I do not believe Western Avenue, the commuters, children, and adults who must use that road every day should be subject to the wishes of a homeowners group, in this manner.

I like the idea of Mary Star having a brand new campus and I do wish everyone well, but I don't think we all should pay, in traffic respects, for having even more individuals needlessly using Western Avenue.

The Taper Avenue access goes to Westmont. Westmont has intersections to both Gaffey and Western Avenue. Many students and others live in the central and southern San Pedro areas, and they probably would not like traveling on Western Avenue during the morning and afternoon "rush" hours.

The idea of a road between Western Avenue and the new campus came up well before Ponte Vista was created. As I understand it, the Navy, when they owned the site, was prepared to open S. John Montgomery as the route between Western and Mary Star.

Bob Bisno has always wished to provide a "community benefit", being the road, as another way to insure that he gets the highest density zoning he possibly can. Bob and L.A. City folks are at odds as to whether he would be required to provide any road if the property were to remain with its current R1 zoning. In this particular instance, I agree that Bob would not be required to provide land or a road, if the property remains R1.

Once again I must repeat for my friends and neighbors, I am very supportive of the new Mary Star campus and I have been from the first day I heard of it. I do not support any road between Western Avenue and the new campus, especially since there will already be access to the new school that will remain in use.