The owner of the newly chosen site for the much-anticipated Castaic High School today expressed appreciation to the board, staff and consultants of the William S. Hart Union High School District, and stands ready to help the district achieve its goal of opening the new school in time for the 2013-2014 school year. The Hart District governing board voted 5-0 Wednesday night to move forward as quickly as possible to complete preliminary studies and negotiate to acquire the 114-acre Romero Canyon property offered for sale by Romero Canyon, LLC, led by 40-year Santa Clarita Valley resident Larry Rasmussen.

“We want to thank the Hart District’s consultants, the staff and the board for their hard work during this selection process,” Rasmussen said Wednesday. “We are looking forward to continuing our positive working relationship with the Hart District and we are eager and ready to roll up our sleeves and get this project under way.”

Romero Canyon, LLC, plans to have a graded pad of approximately 50 acres ready for construction within 18 months, which will enable the Hart District to put the project on track for construction to be completed in time for the 2013 opening.

The Hart District governing board decision was a timely one, as any further delays in site selection would have jeopardized the timeline for construction. The Romero Canyon site, located near the expected future “center” of Castaic upon build-out, had garnered support from community organizations including the Castaic Chamber of Commerce, Val Verde Civic Association and the West Ranch Town Council.

Having selected a site, the Hart District has also increased its chances of being able to move the project forward in time to obtain state matching funds for construction.

Although the search for a site has been ongoing for the past decade, this particular site selection process — in which various sites were evaluated and narrowed down to the final two sites leading up to Tuesday night’s vote — was completed in approximately one year. The two finalists were the Romero Canyon site and a site dubbed the “Hasley/Sloan site,” owned by the SCV Facilities Foundation.

“The Hart District has been working diligently under the board’s leadership to get to this point,” Rasmussen said. “This decision is a ‘win-win’ not only for the residents of Castaic, who want and deserve a high school to call their own, but also for the entire Santa Clarita Valley, as the new school will help alleviate overcrowding on other campuses. We’re very proud to be part of it and we’ll be even more proud on the day Castaic High School opens its doors to students on the Romero Canyon property.”

Photos, maps and additional information about the Romero Canyon site can be found online at www.castaichighschoolnow.com.