Update April 2014:

Todd Butcher, SAUSD's Director of Construction presented the final plans for the classroom building at the WSNA General Meeting April 10th. Construction will begin this June and be complete in August 2015. The classrooms will be complete in time for the Spring 2015 session. Construction will take place from 7AM to 5PM and cost 3.7 million dollars. Horizons Construction Company International won the bid.

The plans have been revised to address concerns the neighborhood had about visibility, noise and access to the properties behind the project. The classroom building will now be set back 15' from the property line creating a fenced buffer that students will not be allowed in. The air conditioning units have been moved to the front of the building and a taller mansart will keep them hidden and reduce the noise. A block wall (height tbd) will be built along the back side of the school property to address neighbor's concerns. The rear facing windows will also be designed to let in light without allowing students to peer into the backyards of our neighbors.

Other changes to the front of the school facade will improve the look and accessibiliy. During construction if any Washington Square resident has an issue that needs resolution you can reach Mr. Butcher at 714 480-5356 and the construction manager, Balfour Beatty Construction at 949 502-4000. Emergencies are handled by the School Police 714 558-5535 and the SAPD 911.

Update November 2013:

The SAUSD is planning construction on the Wilson School site to increase the number of classrooms and eliminate the need for portables. They are planning a two story building built close to the back of the property on the 15th Street end of their campus. Construction will take as long as a year and will impact Washington Square residents during that time. In addition, the two story structure will impact residents of Westwood behind the project.

On Monday 11-20, representitaves from the district met with concerned neighbors and members of WSNA to hear concerns about the project. The site plan and a rendering of the project were presented and appear below.

WSNA will continue to monitor the project and updates will be presented here. Anyone wanting more information should email Noe Vazquez nvazquez@kimco.com Noe's property backs up to the proposed site and he was instrumental in reaching out to the SAUSD. Click for larger image

Update: August 2008: all of the portable classrooms that have filled up the recreation area for the past 10 or 12 years were removed. Good riddance! .

Here's some some trivia--did you know that Wilson School is named for President Woodrow Wilson? It opened in 1930 as a two story school but was torn down in 1971 because it didn't meet the new earthquake standards for public buildings. The current school was built in 1971 and 1972. From the 2nd picture you can see that the library building we use for the WSNA general meetings was built before the original school was razed and once had windows.