Residents near orchard oppose planned school

By Emily Richmond

Tuesday, July 8, 2003 | 11:22 a.m.

A small but vocal band of residents is opposing plans by the Clark County School District to build a high school in northwest Las Vegas, calling the proposal a threat to the nearby Gilcrease Orchard and Animal Sanctuary.

"A high school will mean traffic and pollution," said Patricia Gorlick, who wants the school district to consider a smaller campus with an agricultural education theme. "The orchard is the only place our kids can have the experience of picking their own tomatoes and peaches, of seeing what growing corn looks like."

But school district officials say the orchard and sanctuary won't be disturbed and that a high school is badly needed in the fast-growing region.

And while neighbors are using the orchard and sanctuary to bolster their arguments against the proposed high school, its supporters note the orchard's owner sold the 36-acre parcel at Buffalo Drive and Grand Teton Way to the district for $2.7 million in 2001.

Ted Gilcrease, 87, still oversees operations at the orchard he began in the early 1960s on Tenaya Way. His brother Bill, 83, is the founder and main caretaker of the nearby wildlife sanctuary, where more than 1,800 rescued birds and animals are in residence -- including quail, pigs, sheep, llamas and goats.

Ted Gilcrease was honored by the city of Las Vegas in 2001 for his commitment to preserving the land his family first began farming more than 80 years ago. The orchard is open to visitors to pick their own fruits and vegetables, while the sanctuary is a popular destination for school field trips and community groups.

"The Gilcrease brothers are very committed to the orchard and the animal sanctuary," said Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack, who will hold a community meeting tonight to discuss the proposed school with concerned residents. "I don't think any dollar amount would tempt them to sell land if they thought for one minute it was a potential harm."

Mack said he understands the concerns expressed by his constituents but at the same time believes a high school is needed.

"I'm representing a sprawling, growing and vibrant community," Mack said Monday. "This high school has been proposed for several years, but it's the same old story -- 'Not in my backyard."'

So far the Gilcreases have been publicly silent about the proposed high school. Ted Gilcrease has been in declining health and rarely ventures beyond his home, said orchard employee Robert Kirk. And Bill Gilcrease is known for his reclusive nature, Kirk said.

"I've seen (Bill Gilcrease) twice in two years," Kirk said.

Sharon Linsenbardt, who can see the proposed high school site from her front yard, said she's known the brothers for more than 30 years and believed they would want the "will of the community" to prevail.

"If the school district wants to teach kids, how about teaching them how to interact with the community instead of being bullies?" Linsenbardt said. "Teach them how to protect people's rights and still have school sites."

Linsenbardt and other residents say they would likely support an elementary or middle school that incorporated the orchard and wildlife sanctuary into its curriculum. But Matt La Croix, assistant director of real property management for the district, said a high school is the priority.

Because the school district uses prototype designs for its high schools -- all with enrollment capacities of 2,700 students -- it isn't possible to switch to a smaller campus design, La Croix said.

Additionally, the district intends to fill every seat, La Croix said. Building booms in the area include more than 1,800 homes as part of Pulte Homes' Silverstone Ranch, on the property formerly known as Mountain Spa. Smaller projects are also bringing new students to the district, La Croix said.

Centennial High School, which currently serves the northwest region, and Shadow Ridge High School, which opens in the fall, are both expected to reach capacity by the time the proposed new campus would open in 2005.

"The density is getting intense," La Croix said. "Just to the southwest of the site we've identified 498 kids who could go to the new school. That's 20 percent of the enrollment, already living in one square mile."

James Fischer, who graduated from Centennial in June and works at the orchard, said he doesn't oppose the plans for a new high school. Centennial, only in its second year when Fischer arrived as a freshman, was already teeming with students, he said. By the time he graduated the campus was badly overcrowded.

"There's going to be plenty of cars and traffic anyway, with all of this going on," said Fischer, pointing to the new homes being built across from the orchard's entrance at 3800 North Tenaya Way. "There's no way to stop the noise and people from coming here."

Linsenbardt, who has spoken out at city and county zoning meetings against development in her once-rural neighborhood, said she doesn't believe the school district's traffic studies have been comprehensive enough. She also questioned the district's contention that new homes being built locally would provide enough students to fill the proposed high school's classrooms.

"They're going to wind up busing kids in here from 10, 12 miles away," Linsenbardt said.

The Las Vegas Planning Commission has instructed the school district to meet with community members and try to resolve their differences, said Margo Wheeler, manager of the current planning division for the city.

"From the city's perspective, we would certainly like to see (the school district) address as many of the concerns of the neighbors as they can, and modify the things where it is economically and physically possible to do so," Wheeler said. "I anticipate the school district will be responding to the public input when they come back to the planning commission."

The school district has requested the item be put back on the commission's agenda for July 24, Wheeler said.

A community meeting with Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack will be held at 6 p.m. today at Lamplight Estates to discuss the school district's plans for the high school.