The Coast News
THE COAST NEWS
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VISTA, SAN MARCOS, ESCONDIDO
VOL. 10, N0. 17
SEPT. 1, 2023
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
Park deal on track.after com policy detour THE Franklin: Appraisal VISTA confirms ‘fairNEWS price’ By Laura Place
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VISTA — The city of Vista is moving forward with the purchase of a future park site on Matagual Drive, after confirming via a land appraisal that the city had come away with a favorable deal, city leaders said Aug. 28. The sale of the land at 536 RANCHO Matagual Drive near Vale View, owned by the SFNEWS Shadle family, was expected to close Aug. 30. The parcel had long been eyed as a site for a controversial hotel development before being considered as a park. In June, the Vista City Council approved the $2.1 million purchase of the land with the commitment to make it into a public park, after negotiating down from the Shadles’ original $3.5 million asking price. An appraisal finalized Monday calculated the as-is market value of the property at around $1.4 million, and the hypothetical market value after a zoning change at $2.4 million. City Council members said this reaffirms the price they agreed to back in June. “Ultimately, I do believe that the price that we arrived at is a very fair price, given the two different evaluation methods that were used. … It was good to arrive at a price between those two prices,” Mayor John Franklin said. The city obtained the retroactive appraisal nearly two months following the purchase agreement, after drawing criticism in August from residents who wondered why the city had not appraised the land first. In response, and at the behest of Franklin, the city began looking into establishing an appraisal policy. However, officials found that the city had a policy on the books from 2003 requiring appraisals for land with a fair market value over $25,000, a policy the council and city attorney were unaware of at the time. At their Monday meeting, City Council members reiterated that this was an oversight, and thanked the public for engaging in the process. “I think all of us can admit we
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ORPHANED BY MAUI FIRE: Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe has taken in 20 orphaned pets rescued from the deadly Maui fire in early August. In addition to helping the pets find homes on the mainland, the move frees up shelter space in the hard-pressed Hawaiian animal shelters. The Maui arrivals will be available for adoption in the coming days and weeks, as they are medically cleared. For information on adoption, visit animalcenter.org or call 858-756-4117, ext. 313.
Esco teachers earn county honor By Samantha Nelson
ESCONDIDO — Two Escondido teachers were named among San Diego County’s best teachers this year and will go on to compete for statewide honors. Courtney Coffin, a special education teacher at Orange Glen High School, and Wendy Threatt, a fourth-grade teacher at Felicita Elementary, were two of five finalists named the San Diego County Teachers of the Year by the San Diego County Office of Education. The other three finalists include Poway, El Cajon and Chula Vista teachers. One hundred and ninety-six teachers have been named San Diego County Teacher of the Year since 1974. Of those, 23 were named California Teacher of the Year, and three went on to be named National Teacher
COUNTY TEACHER of the year recognition went to Courtney Coffin, left, a special ed teacher at Orange Glen HS, and Wendy Threatt, a 4th-grade teacher at Felicita Elementary. Both are eligible for state honors. Courtesy photos
of the Year. Coffin, recognized earlier this year as the Escondido Union High School District’s top educator, specializes in teaching moderate to severe special education. “By selecting me, I feel like the district is saying this population of students is truly valued and that it’s important
to provide them with a high-quality teacher and recognize them as part of the campus culture,” Coffin previously told The Coast News. Despite the challenges of teaching students with the highest support needs on campus, Coffin has been up for the task since she was just a young high school student.
“I always knew I wanted to work with people with disabilities,” Coffin said. “There were no other options.” Coffin moved to Southern California over a decade ago for her husband to pursue a master’s degree and immediately began looking for a teacher position. During that search, she found Orange Glen High School and has never left. Coffin developed an innovative curriculum for the Life Skills/Bridge Program, a highly specialized and individualized certificate of completion that prepares students with moderate to significant disabilities to become more independent in school, in their community and at home. Threatt has been with the Escondido Union School District for 25 years, teaching at Reidy TURN TO TEACHERS ON 12
Courtesy photo
San Marcos hires new city manager Michelle Bender has served as interim city manager since Jack Griffin was placed on administrative leave in July. 7
76th up for grabs Three have jumped into the race to replace longtime Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, who is retiring. 11
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