District moves toward Sahuarita Park HS site; town pool may follow

The school district moved much closer to building a high school at Sahuarita Park on Monday, when the superintendent and county parks director agreed in principle on how the district could take title to the land.

The transaction is not a done deal, but it appears to be on track. There is still a chance the new school could open by August 2009, if all goes well, but that timetable appears to depend on funding to be set by the state Legislature, so a January 2010 opening may be more likely.

If that happens, a community swimming pool funded largely or entirely by the town could also be located there, town officials were told recently.

The Monday morning meeting included School District Superintendent Jay St. John and Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Director Rafael Payan and their operations directors and several representatives of the Born Again Jocks Association (BAJA), a major user.

“I’m thrilled. The biggest question is will we be able to operate it as a park. I think the answer is yes, we can. We probably can’t keep it open till dusk every day,” St. John said.

After school hours, the athletic fields will be used by school sports teams for practices and games, and that would mean some current users would have to reschedule their usage from later afternoon to the school day, St. John said. The superintendent said meeting all the needs “will be a scheduling adventure.”

Payan said: “Day-time access and use will continue, in accordance with our discussion. The continued access and use will be included in the agreement’s language."

If the second high school winds up at Sahuarita Park, a new community swimming pool could follow, Town Council Member Scott Downs told the town council on Jan. 28. Such a move would mean that the town would annex to the east sooner rather than later, officials said.

Downs, who also is principal of the Sahuarita Intermediate School, serves with Town Council Member Marty Moreno and several school board members on a town manager’s task force on the future of a pool.

pfranchine@sahuaritasun.com | 547-9738