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C. Joint Use
Joint Use refers planned development or use of facilities by multiple jurisdictions. It has public appeal for its efficient use of public funds for broader public access. With an aging electorate, many communities find school bonds pass when they include provisions for broader public access to facilities such as gyms or performance centers which appeal to the senior population. All require a culture of collaboration and clear joint use agreements. Joint use agreements typically include the following components:
- Authority for entering the agreement;
- Intent and purpose of the agreement;
- Description of the facilities, areas and equipment to be shared;
- Description of the activities and services to be offered;
- Use priority;
- Staffing an supervision requirements;
- Financial arrangements and responsibilities; and
- Operation policy and procedures.
These examples were drawn from a longer paper on school districts as joint-use partners.:
- Administrative Buildings – The City of Fairfield and Solano County, The City of Modesto and Stanislaus County, and the City of Lincoln and the Western Placer Unified School District all have shared administrative buildings.
- Co-Location is perhaps the simplest form of joint use. This involves planning to construct facilities on adjacent properties. Many examples exist of schools sited next to parks. The City of Davis, the Davis Unified School District, and the Yolo Public Library all have adjacent property. Over the years this has grown from collocation to multiple joint use agreements, including shared parking with a local church.
- Community Schools are both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Schools become centers of the community and are open to everyone – all day, every day, evenings and weekends.
| "Today’s educational facilities should be designed to sustain the integral relationship between a school and its community. They should be places where creative configurations of space expand their use to encompass early learning and adult education, where learning occurs ‘after hours,’ late at night, on weekends, where school-to-school partnerships, links with business and collaboration with higher education are encouraged and supported. They should enable learners of all ages and serve as centers for lifelong learning." U. S. Dept. of Education |
- Gymnasiums– The City of Pleasanton and Pleasanton Unified School District jointly funded the construction of three middle school gyms. The City operates programs in the gyms during non-school hours. The City of Davis and Davis Unified School district also have agreement to share gymnasiums and pools.
- Libraries– 24% of California’s library jurisdictions responded to a 2001 California State Library Survey indicating they had joint use with schools.
Examples:
- The City of Lincoln, Western Placer Unified School District and Sierra Joint Community College District jointly applied for and received a $10.4 million grant from the California Public Library Construction and Renovation Board to help build the $16 million new library located on a shared school campus. The library will be constructed, owned and managed by the city and operating costs divided among the three. See their case study… and their joint use agreement.
- Capistrano Unified School District partnered with the county library system to open the Ladera Ranch School Library / Orange County Public Library, where students enjoy a separate and secure downstairs library during school hours while the public upstairs section remains accessible through a separate entrance. After school hours, the downstairs section is opened up for an expanded public library.
- Inderkum High School in the Natomas Unified School District, has a joint use library shared by the high school the co-located American River Community College branch and the local community.
- The Elk Grove Unified School District and Sacramento County operate a library that sets at a corner of the adjoined high school and middle school campuses. Both school district and county librarians staff the facility and it is open to students from both schools and the community.
Joint-Use Library Resources:
- Maintenance Yards– The Cities of Sonora and Claremont share maintenance yards with their local school districts.
- Neighborhood Revitalization
The most complex joint use projects are those in which there are many agencies, both public and private, that partner for major redevelopment or development ventures. In densely built urban environments public infrastructure dollars can be leveraged to renew blighted communities. In rapidly developing communities, smart growth principles can be applied to create public services hubs. The array of partners may include redevelopment agencies, regional planning associations, transportation districts, police departments, community colleges and other institutions of higher education, and multiple private partners. Successful projects have an agency in the facilitative role of forging a complex project vision with many partners. Financing is complex. New Schools Better Neighborhoods has coined the term “predevelopment collaborative planning “ to describe the role of an intermediary to leverage bond financing for a variety of community infrastructure projects. These projects require strong leadership and political acumen, from political leadership or private investors.
Examples:
- City Heights Urban Village spans an eight square block area in San Diego. It includes a state of the art library, swimming pool, tennis court, performance annex, a community services annex, a Head Start facility, an elementary school, a continuing education center, and a police substation which includes a community gymnasium. It is adjacent to 116 housing units and office building devoted to nonprofits providing services to the community. This massive project was a partnership between Price Charities and public and nonprofit agencies
- Twelve Bridges Campus in Lincoln, CA combines collocation, co-development and joint use. Lincoln is a rapidly growing community north east of Sacramento. The city and school district jointly planned the development of a 65-acre site that will house the new Twelve Bridges High School, a Sierra College Lincoln campus and the new Lincoln Public Library at Twelve Bridges. Learn more…
- Parks & Recreation – The most frequently occurring joint use across local jurisdictions in California is between parks and schools. A 2002 survey of California school district superintendents found that of the 70% responding, over 94% reported public use of the district recreation facilities. (CA Dept. of Parks and Recreation Planning).
- School facilities can be programmed for recreational services and enrichment classes.
- Local park agencies provide schools with sport fields, tennis courts and large areas for special events.
- Often schools and park departments have agreements for shared gym, field and pools. While these may begin as informal agreements, practice has shown that conflicts are averted with formalize agreements.
California Park and Recreation Examples
- The City of San Carlos and the San Carlos Elementary School District have a Memorandum of Understanding that defines terms of school access to city facilities and recreation department access to school facilities during before and after school hours.
- In the City of La Mesa, the Junior Seau Sports Complex was made possible by the $5 million fundraising efforts of the La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation. The complex features an artificial turf football field, soccer field, three ball fields, skate park and future expansion of the YMCA facilities. Users include the middle school PE classes; youth sports teams, after school programs, sports camps, and YMCA camps. The City's Public Works Department handled the design and construction of the project and maintains the fields. The private foundation led the fundraising efforts and coordinates special events for the Complex. The City's Community Services and Sports Athletic Council coordinate scheduling after school and on weekends. The leagues pay for janitorial services and lights and the school pays for watering the fields.
- The City of Claremont and Claremont Unified School District have both a joint bidding/purchasing/contracting agreement and a Masters Facility Agreement. Staff from the City and the District meet regularly to determine what projects (i.e., asphalting, fencing, painting, fire extinguisher maintenance, tree trimming, etc.) can be jointly bid and what products (i.e., playground equipment, paper, vehicles, equipment, etc.) can be jointly purchased. The Masters Facility Agreement entitles each agency to use the other’s buildings and facilities free of charge. Each entity is responsible for maintenance and repair of its own facilities and is also responsible for damages that may be caused when using the other’s buildings or facilities.
- The City of Stockton Parks and Recreation Department and the Lodi Unified School District are developing a high school campus that will allow for community use of fields and facilities.
Resources
The California Park and Recreation Society website has examples of Memoranda of Agreement and Understanding as well as lists of obstacles to overcome for successful joint use.
- Performing Arts Centers - In Gaylord Michigan it took two failed school bonds before the school board discovered that the seniors wanted a performing arts center. A new proposal that included a 600 seat performing arts center, day care facilities and health care facilities won support of a $25 million bond, and the Gaylord Community School was built. CCS is looking for California examples of joint use performing arts centers.
- Pools– The Town of Danville and the City of Escalon have joined with their local school districts to build, maintain, and share use of pools. The City of Temecula and Temecula Valley Unified School District jointly designed and funded the Temecula Valley Aquatic Facility.
- Sports Fields– Development of new sports fields is a costly endeavor. Many California cities and school districts have partnered with community colleges, sports leagues and other community groups to finance, develop, schedule and maintain fields. We have heard of projects in the Cities of La Mesa, Westlake Village, Capistrano, Redwood City, Burlingame, and San Pablo.
- Transit Hubs–Sweetwater Union High School District linked with their Metropolitan Transit Development Board and National City Redevelopment Agency to provide accessible adult education Southern San Diego County. Learn more…
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