CRAMPED CAMPUSES AT ISSUE.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Officials in city government and the Westside Union School District have pledged to communicate better about new housing developments and the number of youngsters they are bringing to local schools.

The city's home-building boom is sending new pupils to Westside schools, which don't have enough room to hold them.

``What we came away with is that we will have better lines of communication. That is the first step in solving our mutual-interest problems,'' board member Deborah Rutkowski-Hines said Tuesday. ``That's the only thing we know is going to happen. You have to have that before anything else happens.''

City officials and school board members got together in a special meeting Monday night at City Hall.

``I thought the exchange of dialogue was a good thing,'' Mayor Jim Ledford said. ``It's one thing we needed to do. We were able to show each other what our areas of concerns are and how we can improve communication. We were also able to put some reasonable expectations on certain things, like putting up signals in lieu of crossing guards.''

School trustees suggested installing new traffic signals and medians to help make streets safer for children going to and from school.

City officials said there is a backlog of proposals for new traffic signals and medians, but a shortage of funds to pay for them. Studies are performed to determine where signal lights should be installed, they said.

``We have warrants that we have to go through. There's a process - things like median placement on Rancho Vista Boulevard. But how do we pay for it?'' Ledford said.

Ledford noted that more children are having to get to school on their own and more parents driving because of cutbacks on school bus service.

City Manager Bob Toone said he will talk with Superintendent Regina Rossall about where traffic signals are going to go, Rutkowski-Hines said.

Rutkowski-Hines said she is especially concerned about children who will be coming from a proposed apartment complex southwest of Rancho Vista Boulevard and west of 30th Street West.

``Our concern is development is going in where traffic is heavy,'' Rutkowski-Hines said. ``One of our prime areas of concern is where the apartment complex is going in. We want to make sure those kids have a signal close to them where they can cross.''

Rossall said city officials offered help in traffic management.

``They agreed to come out and look at the traffic patterns, and assist us when we begin developing a school site - how to lay out a school to improve the traffic pattern if that's possible to do,'' Rossall said.

District officials realize they can't stop such development or make the city put a halt to it, Rutkowski-Hines said.

``We are not opposed to growth, but we are so behind the curve, it's really out of control,'' Rutkowski-Hines said. ``We know we can't stop it. We understand we can't stop it, but we need the city (officials) to understand, too, that we have our issues, just as they do.''

Westside trustees had met in June with Lancaster officials, who expressed willingness to cooperate by providing tract maps and monthly updates on new house-construction permits, Rutkowski-Hines said.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com