Nevada County Supervisors have given their approval for the Yuba River Charter School to be built on property west of Grass Valley on at 11157 Rough and Ready Highway near Adam Avenue. After 5 years of planning and being sent back to the drawing board for revisions, Supervisors voted unanimously to  pass two items, a mitigated negative declaration of environmental impacts and an ordinance amending the zoning on a 2.99 acre piece of property that was a part of Kenny Ranch.  Supervisors voted 3 to 2  with Supervisors Hank Weston and Dan Miller voting no on the building permit. The School is located in newly seated Dan Miller’s District 3 and he wanted to assure the neighbors to the school that backup plans exist if there is an environmental failure with the septic system or drainage.

click here to listen to Dan Miller

Before approving the project Supervisors directed Planning Department staff to add some provisions to the project that will increase water testing in the area of the project septic system and on three wells on neighboring properties.

Wayne Sjolund is the Project Manager for construction of the new school site.

click here to listen to Wayne Sjolund
Caleb Buckley was Director of Yuba River Charter School for the first four years of the application process and came back to Nevada County yesterday for the final decision. He says neighbors concerns about environmental impacts will be relieved once the school is built.
click here to listen to Caleb Buckley

Yuba River Charter School has received an EPA Brownsfield Grant for cleanup of toxic materials on one side of the property that was a former Grass Valley dump burn site. The Yuba River Charter School is also  in line to receive an $8.5 million  grant from the state allocation Board to build a new school.