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Board OKs Santo deal Three-way bargain will result in community center By VICKI GUARINO The Medford School Board agreed Tuesday to hold up its end of a three-way bargain to establish a community center in west Medford. The district committed some $250,000 to renovating the West Side School for its lone tenant, the U.S. Navy. In return, the city of Medford will pay the Navy's $44,000 annual rent to the school district and the city will get the deed to the military's Santo Center. Repairing and re-roofing the old schoolhouse at 3070 Ross Lane is part of a $1.1 million financing package approved by the board. The money also will pay for land for a new school and set up a districtwide computer network. The district will issue low-interest bonds through a broker, and repay the money over 10 years from district operating funds -- not a special tax levy. No certain school construction plans have been made yet, but the board has been shopping for possible school sites. "It could be a new elementary school, it could be a middle school, it could be a school combining (grades) six, seven and eight, like other districts have," said school Superintendent Steve Wisely. The first step in the project is obtaining land -- probably this summer. The new computer network would link all Medford schools electronically. District officials expect the project to cost about $400,000. Work likely would begin in the summer, but is expected to take several months to finish. The network is part of the community-based "2 x 2000" project to put two computers in every Medford classroom by the year 2000. Dozens of classrooms already have been outfitted with new computers as a result of community contributions. The new network will use the new computers to link classrooms across the corridor and across town. The West Side School project is part of protracted negotiations intended to ultimately give the west Medford community clear access to what once was a U.S. Marine Corps building at 701 N. Columbus Ave. The West Medford Coalition has used the Santo Center for its activities to improve the needy neighborhood. Wisely said the district's funding and renovation plans are contingent on the federal General Services Administration deeding the Santo Center to the city. He said Sen. Ron Wyden has told both city and school district officials that the property would be transferred in May. Despite the high-level assurance, Wisely remains slightly skeptical. The U.S. Navy has staked claims to the center while negotiating the agreement for continuing use of the West Side School. Federal officials have said they would reject the Navy's latest request, Wisely noted. But he added, "I won't believe it until it's a done deal. We've been surprised a half-dozen times through this whole thing." The Navy pays the district about $44,000 a year to use the old school. Officials wanted to claim the Santos Center to avoid paying rent. To resolve the rent issue, city officials agreed to pay the school rent in exchange for the Santo Center. The repairs to the school building were requested by the Navy, Wisely said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA