OXNARD : Schools, City Will Split Cost of Land

Oxnard city and elementary school officials have agreed to split the purchase price of 14 acres for a school and a playground that will double as a city park.

Half the land, in northeast Oxnard near Rose Avenue, will be used as a playground during school hours, then as a park when school is not in session and on weekends. The remainder will be the site of an elementary school.

The City Council approved the purchase Tuesday; the Oxnard School District voted for the plan last month.

“In the past, you would have a school site and a park,” Councilman Tom Holden said. “Basically, we’re combining the two to save money.”

The recreational area will contain swings, baseball and basketball facilities, restrooms, a tot lot and grass fields.

The city will fund design and construction of the recreational areas, and the school district will maintain them. Negotiations on the purchase price are still under way. Maintenance costs are expected to reach $20,000 for the school and playground.

“We have never had that kind of agreement where we buy land together,” said Sandra Herrera, assistant superintendent of business and fiscal services for the district. “It means that less land is taken up by public use.”