Demolition begins on 60-year-old Yorba Linda Public Library building for In-N-Out Burger outlet

 

Demolition of Yorba Linda's public library – located for 60 years near the Imperial Highway and Lemon Drive intersection – is scheduled to be completed in December, with the contractor required to provide a construction-ready site for an In-N-Out Burger restaurant.

Cost is estimated at $374,000, or $430,000 with a standard 15% contingency. Anaheim-based AMPCO Contracting won the contract after submitting the lowest of seven bids. The firm previously completed the $4.2 million site demolition for the 80-acre Anaheim Concourse.

The project will have minor traffic impacts to the surrounding area during demolition, Assistant City Engineer Rick Yee said in an Oct. 6 report. “Impacts are due to the temporary lane closures during the required time frame to access utility services in the street,” he noted.

Work is to be scheduled so there will be no lane closures before 8:30 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m., especially on busy Imperial Highway, which will have all traffic lanes open during non-working hours. Demolition is scheduled to be completed in 35 working days.

Interestingly, the city's $610,000 project estimate was higher than five of the bids, which ranged to a high of $702,000. The city's estimate presumed the presence of hazardous materials that would have required a higher cost for treatment and disposal.

A final parcel map for the 1.5-acre, 18181 Imperial Highway location was approved by City Council members at a recent meeting. The map consolidates the site's 21 lots into a single lot to accommodate the future sale of the property to In-N-Out Burger.

A purchase agreement between the city and In-N-Out “is currently in place, with escrow set to close at the end of the year,” Yee said in a September report to the council. The city sold the land in 2018 to In-N-Out for some $3.5 million to help pay for a new two-story, 45,000 square-foot library on Lakeview Avenue.

The near-4,000-square-foot restaurant will have a 29-car capacity drive-thru lane, with a camera system to alert managers to potential parking lot problems. Plans also call for 70 seats each for indoor and outside dining.

Groundbreaking at the 60-year library site occurred in 1959, with the dedication in 1960, after the then-existing library district voters passed an $80,000 bond issue on a 280 to 39 vote. An expansion to a three-level structure came in 1971 under a $585,000 bond approved 456-418.

A final $3.7 million remodel was completed in 1992. The first library opened in 1913 in the Yorba Linda School District building on School Street and moved to a Valencia Street and Lemon Drive location in 1917, then to an Olinda Street building in the 1920s.

The Yorba Linda Library District was formed in 1914, with trustees elected by district voters until 1985, when the trustees approved a merger with the city. Library income is still derived from the property tax revenue established under the old library district.

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District students again earn top scores on AP, IB exams

 

Challenges posed by the unexpected mid-semester switch to distance learning didn't deter students in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District from again earning top scores on Advanced Placement examinations and International Baccalaureate evaluations for 2020.

In fact, the number of AP examinations taken by freshman through senior students at the district's four comprehensive high schools increased to 4,443 from 4,260 last year, the previous record high.

Passing scores at each high school this year easily outdistanced the just-under 60% pass rate posted on the more than 4.5 million exams administered to all AP students globally in 2019.

Exams were administered in up to 26 of the 32 AP subject areas during a two-week May 11-22 window, with students generally answering timed essay-type questions with computers, instead of the hand-written multiple-choice and essays mixtures required in past years.

A passing score – three or higher on a five-point scale – can earn university-level credit and allow students to bypass introductory courses, with decisions on credit and placement made by individual universities.

Here's how the four high schools fared, according to district-provided data:

El Dorado: 934 tests were administered in 21 subjects, up from 880 tests in 24 subjects last year. Hawk pass rate was 79% this year, 80% last year and 79% on 861 tests in 2018.

Esperanza: 709 tests were administered in 23 subjects, down from 726 tests in 26 subjects last year. Aztec pass rate was 77% this year, 81.5% last year and 80% on 703 tests in 2018.

Valencia: 1,684 tests were administered in 26 subjects, up from 1,652 tests in 28 subjects last year. Tiger pass rate was 87% this year, 86.7% last year and 87.8% on 1,531 tests in 2018.

Yorba Linda: 1,116 tests were administered in 23 subjects, up from 1,002 tests in 27 subjects last year. Mustang pass rate was 85% this year, 91% last year and 88% on 992 tests in 2018.

Some schools offer AP classes beginning the freshman year. For example, at Valencia, 162 mostly ninth grade students took the Computer Science Principles exam, posting a 95% pass rate.

And again this year, the most popular exam was English Language and Literature, administered to mostly juniors: 132 at El Dorado, 118 at Esperanza, 226 at Valencia and 132 at Yorba Linda.

The International Baccalaureate program at Valencia posted a 94% pass rate, with 394 out of 421 evaluations earning a four or higher on a seven-point scale.

Students were evaluated in 20 subjects, based on internal assessment, the teacher's predicted grade and statistical analysis and trends of prior testing years, according to longtime program coordinator Fred Jenkins.

A total 61 of 62 students earned the full IB diploma for 2020 for a 98% pass rate, much better than the 78.75% worldwide rate. Jenkins noted 78 seniors are candidates for the full diploma in 2021 and 101 current juniors in 2022.

Black Gold Golf Club replaces golf cart fleet; Yorba Linda City Manager gets 2.5 percent pay boost

 

Yorba Linda's city-owned Black Gold Golf Club is replacing a four-year-old golf cart fleet with 86 lithium battery-powered carts and four other vehicles for $585,000, that includes the trade-in value of the older carts with lead acid batteries.

Lithium batteries “have become the new standard for golf cart fleets,” stated a report from Parks and Recreation Director Mike Kudron, who said such carts can be charged in about four hours.

Kudron noted the warranty on the “aging” fleet expired in March, with the carts now needing new batteries costing about $98,000, along with other expensive repairs.

“Lithium batteries will also eliminate the need for a battery replacement during the lifespan of the fleet and will reduce costs because they do not require additional maintenance that is needed for lead acid batteries,” Kudron stated.

And Kudron noted that a cart with a lithium battery will have enough power to complete 36 to 54 holes, while the lead acid battery can complete 18 to 27 holes before needing recharging.

The city is purchasing the carts from Georgia-based Club Car, despite a lower bid from E-Z-GO, also based in Georgia. The E-Z-GO bid was nearly $537,000, including trade-in values.

But, according to Kudron, the Club Car bid was accepted “due to performance and other factors,” including vehicle speed control, which allows staff to set maximum speed levels around portions of the course, including steep hills and tight corners.

During a one-week testing period, “it was noted the E-Z-GO cart was too fast at multiple points around the golf course,” Kudron said. “Although E-Z-GO makes a very good cart, our hilly terrain warrants as much control over speed as possible.”

The purchase will be financed through a Club Car partner firm for a five-year term at 2.83% interest “with payments reduced in the first year to assist the city with minimizing operating losses at Black Gold during the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Kudron said.

First-year payments will be $4,306 monthly, increasing to $12,103 per month for the next four years. A separate GPS subscription will allow staff to locate each cart on the course.

The GPS also informs golfers of the distance to each hole, bunker, hazard or other course condition; alerts golfers to other carts; allows golfers to order food from the club restaurant and call the golf shop for assistance; among other benefits.

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City Manager Mark Pulone was granted at 2.5% salary increase to $259,554 per year beginning Oct. 1 “based on merit and performance” on a recent unanimous vote from City Council members.

All other terms in his contract remain the same, including a five-year extension to Oct. 1, 2023, which was granted in 2018. Pulone's employment with the city began in July 2013.

City Attorney Todd Litfin stated at a Sept. 15 council meeting that Pulone's 2.5% increase is the same granted to all city employees.