Jesuit High's President Weighs in on Proposed Campus Expansion

The likelihood that Jesuit High School will receive approval to expand its campus and build a new chapel hangs in the balance, but administrators remain optimistic.

Asked about the status of the project, Fr. David J. Suwalsky, S.J., President of Jesuit High School had a few things to say about working with Sacrmanto County Planning Commission officials and the back-and-forth challenges school officials have faced.

Where exactly does the project stand at this point?

Jesuit High School is moving through the same permit process, as would any institution, organization or private developer seeking to build in Sacramento County. The Planning Commission gave its unanimous approval for the chapel project in the spring of 2011. This decision was appealed to the Board of Supervisors and we then decided, in light of a probable legal challenge, to undertake an Environmental Impact Report, which would strengthen Jesuit’s position in court.

Our construction drawings will be 100 percent complete by the end of this month. The first set of bids for work on the project has been, or will soon be, released by Swinerton Builders. The project also includes a new traffic signal and entryway on Fair Oaks. The inclusion of a traffic signal has resulted in the greatest interest by officials as well as our neighbors.

This project has been going back and forth between planners and the county since mid-2011. How would you describe this process? Has it been frustrating?

Given the size of the chapel project in dollars, the development of this project should not have become so complicated. On the other hand, we are attempting to build in a settled suburban environment and that has resulted in considerable interest. I have been involved in this project only since July 2011. I think that the delays have actually led to a refinement of the chapel project, which will prove to be of even greater benefit to Jesuit High School. I also believe that our proposal for a traffic signal will result in greater safety, not only for our students but also for our neighbors and this assertion is now validated by a comprehensive traffic study, which was undertaken in 2011/12. The project has proved challenging but not frustrating.