[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7904-S7905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 2838. A bill to provide for the conveyance of Forest Service 
facilities and lands comprising the Five Mile Regional Learning Center 
in the State of California to the Clovis Unified School District, to 
authorize a new special use permit regarding the continued use of 
unconveyed lands comprising the Center, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I am proud to introduce legislation 
today to transfer 27 acres of land from the Stanislaus National Forest 
to the Clovis Unified School District.
  This bill allows the school district to continue operating the 
California Five Mile Regional Learning Center and, more importantly, 
raise the necessary funds to renovate the facilities.
  Since 1989, Clovis Unified School District has leased the Five Mile 
Regional Learning Center from the Forest Service to offer programs to 
students living in the Central Valley. And each year, thousands of 
eager children come to the Center to take classes that emphasize 
natural resource conservation. During this past academic year, for 
instance, more than 14,000 students benefitted from classes ranging 
from forest management to aviary studies to team building.
  In addition to classes, students have the option of attending summer 
basketball camps offered in the Center's gymnasium and participating in 
individual activities given on the Center's adjacent 93 acres. To date, 
the district has invested $14 million of local funds to provide these 
opportunities.
  Unfortunately, in the last few years, the Regional Learning Center 
has fallen into a state of disrepair. The buildings that occupy the 27 
acres are over 40 years old, but have never undergone

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major renovations to modernize and improve them. As a result, the 
Center has a laundry list of items in need of repair: from cracked 
asphalt and leaky roofs to unreliable electrical wiring. And while 
Clovis Unified School District officials have done a fine job of 
operating the Center and are willing to invest in renovations, the 
Forest Service can not permit the district to spend local funds to 
renovate these federally owned buildings.
  This bill enables the Forest Service to convey the acreage that the 
buildings occupy to the school district allowing the district to make 
the necessary repairs. Clovis Unified has already committed to 
investing $5 million over 5 years to make the renovations, in addition 
to the district's $1.2 million of annual contributions spent on routine 
maintenance and operating costs. These investments will be used to 
expand and enhance the Center's environmental educational curriculum. I 
believe that given the budget constraints that schools nationwide are 
facing that this commitment speaks to the quality of these programs and 
to the need to keep the Center in operation.
  The Forest Service has already acknowledged that this transfer would 
be in the best interest of both the Forest Service and the general 
public. At the Forest Service's request, reversionary language was 
added to this bill to ensure that the gederal government would retain 
ownership of the land should the school district decide to no longer 
operate the facilities.
  Without this important legislation, in a few years time, the 
California Five Mile Regional Learning Center will be uninhabitable and 
another educational resource that benefits our children will close its 
doors. I believe that this bill is the perfect example of what can 
happen when local, state, and federal governments work together to get 
something done. It is this type of partnership that Congress should 
support in our efforts to diversify and improve educational 
opportunities for students and encourage multi-use activities on 
federal land. In this case, I believe everyone wins and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2838

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``California Five Mile 
     Regional Learning Center Transfer Act''.

     SEC. 2. LAND CONVEYANCE AND SPECIAL USE AGREEMENT, FIVE MILE 
                   REGIONAL LEARNING CENTER, CALIFORNIA.

       (a) Conveyance.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall convey 
     to the Clovis Unified School District of California all 
     right, title, and interest of the United States in and to a 
     parcel of National Forest System land consisting of 27.10 
     acres located within the southwest \1/4\ of section 2, 
     township 2 north, range 15 east, Mount Diablo base and 
     meridian, California, which has been utilized as the Five 
     Mile Regional Learning Center by the school district since 
     1989 pursuant to a special use permit (Holder No. 2010-02) to 
     provide natural resource conservation education to California 
     youth. The conveyance shall include all structures, 
     improvements, and personal property shown on original map 
     #700602 and inventory dated February 1, 1989.
       (b) Special Use Agreement.--As soon as practicable after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
     enter into negotiations with the Clovis Unified School 
     District to enter into a new special use permit for the 
     approximately 100 acres of National Forest System land that, 
     as of the date of the enactment of this Act, is being used by 
     the school district pursuant to the permit described in 
     subsection (a), but is not included in the conveyance under 
     such subsection.
       (c) Reversion.--In the event that the Clovis Unified School 
     District discontinues its operation of the Five Mile Regional 
     Learning Center, title to the real property conveyed under 
     subsection (a) shall revert back to the United States.
       (d) Costs and Mineral Rights.--The conveyance under 
     subsection (a) shall be for a nominal cost. Notwithstanding 
     such subsection, the conveyance does not include the transfer 
     of mineral rights.
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