Earthquake faults and explosive methane gases be damned! LAUSD plans to complete the Belmont Learning Center west of Downtown LA, saying the kids need to learn and NOTHING will stop education. Tuesday, the School Board approved a $132 million contract to complete construction of the rotting, hulking, boarded up mess of a building at the corner of 1st Street and Beaudry. The Daily News reports on the newest take on the learning complex:
"It's extraordinarily rewarding to have cleared the final hurdle to allow construction on this long-awaited project to begin," said Glenn Gritzner, special assistant to the superintendent. "This community has been advocating for and waiting for this school for over two decades, and this is another in a string of difficult projects that we're very happy to get off the ground, turn around and show that we're committed to building the schools that our kids need."
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Plans call for a 2,600-student school that will be broken up into "small-learning communities" with about 500 students each. When completed, the Belmont Learning Center will be the most expensive school in the United States. Maybe the World.
· LAUSD gives go-ahead on Belmont [Daily News]