Ojai preservation commission presses for coordinated action to protect Nordoff Grammar School landmark

The Ojai Historic Preservation Commission on July 9 focused much of its meeting on the maintenance and protection of Nordoff Grammar School (Landmark No. 24), a city-designated landmark at 414 East Ojai Avenue. Staff reviewed the applicable resolution and municipal code provisions and commissioners and members of the public pressed the city and the school district to coordinate on repairs and ongoing stewardship.

Staff presented the packet materials, noting City Council resolution number 17 50 and municipal-code language that ties specific exterior features of the Nordoff landmark to required work permits and the secretary-of-the-interior standards for alterations. Staff said the city code (chapter 4.8) assigns enforcement duties to the building official or code enforcement officer and explained that some types of work on a parcel with a landmark will require a work permit and Historic Preservation Commission review.

That framing set off a long discussion about the limits of the commission's authority and the practicalities of enforcement. "The resolution speaks specifically to what requires a work permit for this particular landmark," staff said, adding that the commission should review the resolution's Attachment A to determine which areas are protected. Commissioners asked whether school-district ownership changes the permitting process; staff said building permits for school-district work frequently go through state review, but where the resolution identifies features that require a work permit, the district must follow the resolution and submit the required applications.

Public testimony underscored community concern. Bill Weirich, who described the history of the landmarking effort, urged the commission to recall why the historic-resources report was funded and said the school ‘‘was a unified architectural part of the character’’ of the city. Kathy Smith, a current school-district trustee, cited the project's architect and the forensic historic-architect consultant, noting "[the report] does not retain significant integrity . . . to be eligible for the California register or the national register," while also emphasizing that the Chaparral Auditorium does qualify for those registers. Other commenters described visible decay and urged faster action and better communication between the city and the district.

Commissioners discussed practical next steps rather than immediate enforcement. Chair McCatton said she had met with Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Knox and that the school district is "strapped for money," describing district plans to prioritize buildings used by students and to seek grant opportunities for upkeep. Staff and commissioners emphasized MyOHAI — the city's online reporting tool — as the formal channel for lodging code and maintenance complaints: staff said that matters routed through MyOHAI are addressed by the appropriate department (code compliance or public works) and that cases become confidential once they proceed to formal code action.

The commission agreed to take a forward-looking approach: improve communication with the school district and city council liaison, explore potential joint solutions (including grants, partnerships, or other creative funding approaches), and return to the issue at future meetings with any compiled ideas. Several commissioners also urged the creation of a routine contact check-in with the district so staff and trustees are aware of upcoming items that could affect landmarked features.

What happens next: the commission will follow up with the superintendent and the city liaison, encourage property-specific MyOHAI submissions where maintenance problems are observed, and revisit the Nordoff campus at a future meeting with more detailed proposals for interagency coordination and possible funding avenues.