Trust us, HALB asks on eve of vote: Support for sale of No. 6 School tempered by concerns over traffic, parking

On the eve of next Monday’s referendum on its proposed purchase of the No. 6 school in Woodmere, the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach sought this week to allay concerns about the deal, mostly relating to traffic and parking.

During a public forum on Tuesday night, HALB President Lance Hirt promised to work with neighbors to mitigate school bus and minivan congestion that might clog the area’s narrow streets as 800 elementary and middle school students arrive and depart each day.

Addressing around 100 people, many of whom appeared skeptical even if generally supportive, Hirrt repeated earlier assurances that the property’s open space would remain accessible to the public’s use when the school is not in session, including on Shabbat. The anticipated loss of public access was one of several issues that led to the defeat last year of a developer’s bid to buy the property for conversion into a medical center.

“We value being good neighbors. We value the scarcity of open space in the community,” he said.

Voters in School District 15 will weigh in on HALB’s $9.2 million purchase on March 31 between 7 am and 10 pm.

“We plan to improve the property,” Hirt said. “We plan to better maintain the fields, fix some of the fencing, put in new basketball courts, beautify the campus and take care of it.”

Hirt related what he described as a rumor regarding potential ancillary uses of the school building, responding:

“We’re a school not a shul — we’re not looking to get into the shul business or the catering business. We want to use the building for an elementary school the same way we do in Long Beach.”

When he said that the “school district ran a very open and transparent process,” some members of the audience disagreed. “I don’t believe anything, because we have been railroaded from day one,” a particularly concerned woman said. “Everything’s been behind closed doors.”

“For those of us who live around the school, this is going to change our quality of life,” she said.