The city of Santa Clarita has offered to buy the Santa Clarita Elementary School property, the Saugus Union School District’s governing board president announced at Tuesday’s meeting following closed session.
After the city submitted a letter offering to buy the former school site located on the 27100 block of Seco Canyon Road, the school board engaged in a conversation during closed session on Tuesday evening, according to Saugus Board President Matthew Watson.
“District staff engaged our friends in the city of Santa Clarita regarding the Santa Clarita Elementary School site. The city has sent us an offer that was discussed in closed session this evening. It was not something that the board was able to vote on at this time, but the board authorized our legal representatives to reach out and continue the conversation,” Watson said when the board returned to public session.
Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste and Councilman Jason Gibbs told The Signal on Wednesday afternoon that the city looks forward to continuing its conversations with the district to acquire the land and turn it into a space beneficial for Saugus residents.
Gibbs said the nonbinding “real property term sheet” sent by the city indicated the city has interest in making an offer equivalent to the fair market value of the property. While it does not specify exact pricing and terms, it outlines a framework for a potential deal.
The governing board was not able to take a vote at the time of the closed session meeting, Watson added, but “the board authorized our legal representatives to reach out and continue the conversation,” he said during open session.
Weste and the rest of the council support the work and effort to acquire the property because “it would be a very good and exciting thing for Saugus to have a complementary project there,” she said.
Although it’s not set in stone what exactly the city may do with the property if it is successfully acquired, Gibbs acknowledged there’s a desire among the community to keep it as a community hub.
“Whether it’s a community center, a library, a park extension, these are all possibilities,” he said. “If the acquisition is able to happen, we look forward to the opportunity for what that could provide to the community, and that is our big interest, is providing something the community is proud of.”
Weste added: “It’s just so many wonderful things that you could do there for the city residents in Saugus. And I just, I hope that we can work that out. It would be really a lovely, wonderful thing for the area.”
Following the report from closed session on the item, Watson also stated that the special board meeting scheduled for Jan. 28 was canceled to allow time for district staff and city officials to discuss the matter further.
“Hopefully we will have something in our special meeting schedule for February,” Watson added.
Over the past few months, district personnel and the governing board have had a series of meetings to discuss the fate of the former school site that closed its doors in 2023. The meetings were held at Bridgeport Elementary School.
Many in the community have spoken during public comment to express what they believe the district should do with the property. Among those comments, people said it should be converted into a recreational area that can serve the community with enrichment programs for people of all ages.
Because the Saugus district is a public entity, any person or agency is allowed to make an offer on the property.
District personnel along with the governing board must review it, Superintendent Colleen Hawkins stated during a December special meeting.
Saugus District Assistant Superintendent of Business Nick Heinlein could not provide additional details on the matter on Wednesday afternoon.
