Page 12 - scvff082014

THE GOLDEN VALLEY STORY | Continued

All the Stars Aligned

Golden Valley is a unique concept that required a specific expertise – the ability to develop land,” Patterson explained.
“Such a project needs to be in a market where real estate is in tight supply and high demand. You need to be able to
“create value.”
Under the more traditional form of site acquisition – donation or sale of land by a developer – the most desirable sites
are in high demand in an expanding real estate market, overpriced, or already slated for private development. Rarely does
a school district have the opportunity to start with a fresh piece of raw land and control the destiny of that site from start
to finish. “This was an extreme project and a diamond in the rough,” explained Project Manager Evan Aldrich with the City
of Santa Clarita. “It shows the community and others that this model works and is a viable way to build infrastructure while
saving taxpayer money.”
Aldrich cited the leadership of then-Hart District Superintendent Bob Lee, former City Manager George Caravalho and
Foundation President Rick Patterson for having the vision and the tenacity to make the project work. “They believed in this
project and brought it to fruition,” he said.

One for the Textbooks

T he Golden Valley project also became a model of cooperation between the school district and the California Department

of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). As the State was adopting new rules and regulations, the Hart District became the
first to work with the State establishing revised standards for school construction. “We recognized our responsibility to
ensure that the site was safe, and cooperated with the State and local agencies throughout the project,” said Lee. “DTSC refers
to our site as an example of cooperation and compliance with all State-mandated safety and environmental requirements.”
The District went well beyond normal requirements for environmental testing, investing some $2.5 million in order to insure
the environmental compliance of the site. Test holes were drilled from the existing mountaintop to sample soil at the eventual
school site level, and both air and soil were tested for toxic and hazardous substances. “They found no evidence of toxins on the
mountain, in the air, or on the future pad elevation,” Otavka reported. DTSC issued a determination of “no further action required,”
and the California Department of Education and Office of Public Construction approved State construction funding.
“Golden Valley is a showpiece,” explained Aldrich. “We had professors from local universities visiting the site to
investigate some of the geological conditions that we exposed on the site. They were interested in how we successfully
mitigated all of the conditions.”

10