After past tension, Live Oak School District and Community Bridges sign two-year lease allowing Meals on Wheels to remain

After more than two years of eviction notices, contentious meetings and negotiations, Live Oak School District and nonprofit Community Bridges entered into a two-year lease agreement this week. 

Community Bridges, which runs its Meals on Wheels program at the district-owned property at 1777 Capitola Rd., will continue to operate there for the next two years at the very least. 

Live Oak School District Superintendent Pat Sánchez said he’s feeling good about finalizing the agreement and rebuilding the relationship between the district and Community Bridges. 

“What they’re doing is definitely a benefit to the community. They’re a nonprofit, they’re not making giant money on anything, and they’re serving some of the same families [we serve],” he said. “We’re reestablishing that collegiality and professionalism. I feel good about that, and I’m glad that we’re at a better place with what we’re doing with the lease.” 

In May 2022, the district issued an eviction notice to Community Bridges and Senior Network Services – which also rents out an office in one of the buildings at the property – as district officials said they planned to demolish the buildings to develop workforce housing. The organizations struggled to find new spaces to accommodate their needs, however, and after months of tensions, the district later started to search for different locations to develop housing. 

Finally, at an Aug. 21 meeting of the LOSD board, the trustees approved a two-year lease agreement with Community Bridges for $4,480 per month, according to board documents. After lawyers reviewed the agreement, Community Bridges officials signed it on Tuesday and Sánchez signed it shortly after. 

Community Bridges CEO Ray Cancino said the organization is appreciative that it can continue to partner with the district and continue operating the Meals on Wheels program at the property.

“We were hoping that the term would be longer than two years, but understand the considerations of the board and understand their hopes and dreams of moving forward on a project,” he said. 

Cancino said the nonprofit is continuing, as it has for the past five years, to search for a different property to accommodate a commercial kitchen to be able to prepare the meals for the 1,800 seniors it serves annually. 

Corey Azevedo, executive director of Senior Network Services, wrote in an email to Lookout that he expects the organization’s two-year lease agreement to be approved at the next board meeting, on Oct. 2. 

In the meantime, Sánchez said LOSD is still moving forward with its potential workforce housing development. The district’s governing board placed a $45 million bond measure on the ballot for the November election to fund the project. Measure N, district officials hope, could help build a project for between 14 to 25 units. 

Sánchez said the plans haven’t been finalized yet as it’s still undecided where the project will be located. He said using the 1777 Capitola Rd. property where the senior services are located isn’t ideal as it would be expensive to demolish the building, so officials are considering a different location. 

“I think it’s better to do that instead of having to do demolition which is very costly,” he said. 

The district is looking into potentially putting the workforce housing project on undeveloped areas on a property it already owns; “That remains to be determined,” Sánchez said.

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.