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Rio Norte Junior
High Underway

Future students, parents, public officials
and community leaders broke ground on the
long awaited Rio Norte Junior High School,
Wm. S. Hart High School Districts fifth
junior high school. Construction had been
delayed for over a year because of litigation
by SCOPE. The local environmental activist
organization's lawsuit ultimately was
overturned by a Santa Barbara County
judge's ruling.
Rio Norte will house 1,200 students and
is expected to open by fall of 2003. State
funds for the school were approved last Valencia Becoming Hub for Biotechnology
March, and along with matching funds from
developer fees and district funds, the school You heard it here first: Some of the most hearing devices, leased approximately
is now fully funded. The developed, exciting advances in medicine may originate 145,000 square feet of office and research
construction-ready site is being provided by from Valencia in coming years. space in Rye Canyon Business Park. The
Newhall Land, who re-started grading That may seem like a bold statement. relocation brings 300 employees from its
operations on the 22-acres as soon as the But given the number of companies former headquarters in Sylmar, and will allow
lawsuit was settled. specializing in bio medical technology that for growth to over 1,500 employees in the
have recently relocated to Valencia, it's not next three years.
at all far-fetched. "BioMed is an important element of our
0 With affordable land and industrial space business community, as well as for Valencia
f hard to find in surrounding areas, companies and the Santa Clarita Valley as a whole, and
[ looking to expand are increasingly attracted we see no end to its potential growth and
to Valencia Gateway, the largest master- continued success here," said Gary
} planned center for Business, Technology Cusumano, Chief Executive Officer and
and Industry in Los Angeles County. President of Newhall Land.
Companies also cite the area's
proximity to Los Angeles, its
highly trained work force, and Al Mann Keynote Speaker at
low crime rate as additional SCV's First BioMed Conference
Students from elementary schools which will feed
into Rio Norte joined Hart High School District incentives to move.
Board Member Gloria Mercado; Marlee Lauffer, Vice Among the companies Recognizing BioMed' s
President, Newhall Land; Santa Clarita Mayor settling in the area are AlleCure importance, Newhall Land
Laurene Weste, and LA County Supervisor Michael actively works to support the
Antonovich for groundbreaking ceremonies. Corporation and Advanced industry. One way it has done
Bionics. AlleCure, which was
that recently is by sponsoring
Rio Norte is located within Valencia's located in both Sylmar and
future West Creek community, north of San Chatsworth, is a high tech a conference on the state of
the industry. "BioMed: Its
Francisquito Creek and west of Copper biopharmaceutical firm that Current and Future Prospects"
Hill. District officials and residents agree specializes in developing featured pioneering biomed-
that Rio Norte will provide much-needed immune response treatments ical executive Alfred E. Mann
relief to currently overcrowded conditions for allergies, asthma, cardiovas- as its keynote speaker. The
on the La Mesa and Arroyo Seco junior cular disease and other immune Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MannKind
high school campuses. disorders. It acquired 5.32 acres Corporation shared his views and visions for BioMed's
Rio Norte will feature 45 classrooms of land, along with a new state- prospects in Southern California.
library, gym, media-center, cafeteria and of-the-art 98, 000-square-foot Mann has founded, financed and operated six
multi-purpose room as well as play courts, industrial building in the technology companies; one in electro-physics
soccer fields and ball diamond. Valencia Commerce Center. (Spectrolab), one in semiconductors (Helotek), and four
The passage of Measure V provided "In order to recruit talented
funds needed to match dollars that will be employees from all over the in medical devices (Pacesetter; Siemens Infusion
received from the state. It allows construction world, we needed to move to an Systems, MiniMed and Advanced Bionics).
of new schools and supports modernization area that offered good housing, Some of the most important and exciting projects
for existing junior and senior highs. functional facilities, expansion his companies are involved in use electrical stimulation
for the treatment of conditions including deafness,
Additionally, the defeat of other lawsuits by capabilities and a high-tech blindness, tremors, urinary incontinence, chronic pain
SCOPE, which had caused delays in image consistent with our and the restoration of paralyzed limbs. Another Mann
providing access to schools on the west side company's identity," said Jeff company, AlleCure, is a biopharmaceutical firm
of the Golden State Freeway, allows devel- Silverman, AlleCure's vice looking to restore balance to the immune system. CTL
opment of new schools serving the Wm. S. president of operations. Immuno Therapies Corp. is developing products for the
Hart High School and Newhall Elementary Advanced Bionics, the lead-
School Districts to move forward. ing manufacturer of implantable treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.

The View From Valencia - Page 5