One of the newest additions to the Peninsula community is nearing completion at Liberty Station, but traffic is admittedly going to get a little worse.
Parking signage has already sprung up at The Rock Church and its new high school at 2277 Rosecrans St., at the former Naval Training Center.
The Rock Academy, a new Christian high school, can house more than 900 students at full capacity and nearly 3,500 people in the auditorium. It brings with it a sense of community centered around Christianity, said Richard Andujo, the school’s principal. The church and the school will be able to use the auditorium for school programs and church services interchangeably, he said.
But at the Trader Joe’s market across the street, a sign prohibiting parking for church members has already been posted in advance of the July 31 completion date.
For five years, church officials have been working with the city and community members to find common ground in bringing the $50 million facility to fruition, Andujo said.
“Everybody had to give and take a little, and it’s going to be a challenge in terms of traffic,” Andujo said. “The goal is to try and keep a steady [traffic] flow.”
With three High Tech High schools in the immediate vicinity, school administrators have adjusted operating hours in an attempt to avoid crowding in the morning.
The Rock Academy, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school at 6866 Linda Vista Road, operates between 7:50 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The school will readjust its hours to operate from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to avoid bottlenecks, Andujo said.
If parents can beat the traffic, students will be able to take advantage of state-of-the-art facilities that will include three dry laboratories for ceramics and biology, along with university-quality chemistry labs, he said.
The 18,000 square feet of classroom space will be divided among 50 or so classrooms to support an estimated 350 new high school students, Andujo said.
The school currently houses one class per grade and is at full capacity. The new building will allow the school to expand and include up to three classrooms per grade, Andujo said. Each class will hold a maximum of 25 students, he said.
It will also open a new pre-school facility for children up to the age of 5, he said.
The new high school will also expand its sports program to include junior high flag football, boys and girls soccer, basketball and volleyball, he said.
Joining the team as the new sports director is former NBA and SDSU basketball player Zack Jones. The school is in the process of completing its California Interscholastic Federation application, Andujo said.
Consolidating the school and church into one building will bring added benefits for the roughly 100 church and school employees, including common areas where church members and their children relax and enjoy park-style playground facilities, said executive pastor Chuck Jamison.
Currently the nondenominational Christian church meets at 3554 Ruffin Road, where it holds about six services each weekend, he said.
Jamison said the church has been working on a traffic plan, including limited parking spaces across the street next to the Trader Joe’s and other businesses. He said the church wants to work with the city on the traffic problem.
“We have multiple people meeting almost constantly with the City Council “¦ and various planning groups,” he said. “We’ll do everything we can to be good neighbors.”
Founded in 2000, The Rock Church is a nonprofit organization and headed by former San Diego Charger Miles McPherson. The church grew from humble beginnings with eight members and held its first service at San Diego State University. Since then, the church has grown to more than 5,000 adult members on any given Sunday.
The school is open for enrollment and is scheduling tours for parents.
The next is Saturday, June 16. For more information call (858) 467-4787, or visit www.therockacademy.org.
