September 13, 2023
Laura Ramirez Berman
President, Mountain View Whisman School District
1400 Montecito Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94043
Dear President Berman:
I am writing regarding the Joint Use Agreement (JUA) that the City and Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD or District) have been discussing over the past few years. The purpose of these discussions has been to update and replace two outdated JUAs. The first of these old agreements was initially entered into in 1959 by the City and the former Mountain View School District and covers the Bubb, Castro, Cooper, Graham, Huff (Imai), Landels, and Slater (Vargas) school sites. This agreement was renewed in 2000 and expires in 2025. The second of the old JUAs was entered into in 1960 by the City and the former Whisman School District and covers the Crittenden, Monta Loma, former San Ramon, Stevenson, and Whisman school sites. This agreement has effectively expired.
These JUAs and the underlying collaboration between our agencies have served the residents of Mountain View well over the past 60-plus years, making high-quality fields and open space available to both the community and the students of the District. The City acknowledges, however, that the JUA model is not the only way to achieve these positive outcomes.
We are in receipt of the letter dated May 3, 2023 from your Superintendent to the City’s Parks and Recreation Commission raising MVWSD’s concerns about the JUA and proposing potential solutions, including having the public rent school fields from the District for various uses, and having the District maintain its
fields at a lower cost. The City accepts this proposal and sees it as consistent with other independent actions the District has taken, such as the removal of City park signs and replacement with school field signs, the placement or proposed placement of fences on school fields, and the stop to the JUA negotiations.
At its September 12, 2023 meeting, the City Council authorized the City Manager to direct City staff to work with MVWSD staff on the timing and actions necessary to transition responsibilities to the District for the maintenance of school fields and scheduling community group use of the fields. For the 2000 JUA, which has not yet expired, the City will seek termination of this Attachment 1
President Laura Ramirez Berman
September 13, 2023
agreement. Since the 1960 JUA is no longer in effect , no action to terminate the agreement is required.
The City Council also affirmed on September 12, 2023 its continued commitment to the agreements governing several locations where there is shared City and District ownership. These areas for ongoing partnership include:
1. 2.
3. 4.
Mountain View Sports Pavilion at Graham Middle School, which is co-owned by the City and MVWSD and which is maintained at the City’s expense in accordance with a Master Agreement executed in 1984 and a subsequent Maintenance Agreement executed in 2003.
Graham Middle School fields for which the above-referenced Maintenance Agreement provides for the City to construct and maintain the school fields in exchange for the placement of an eight-million-gallon water reservoir under a portion of the football field.
The Mountain View Sports Center at Crittenden Middle School, which is co-owned by the City and MVWSD and which is maintained at the shared expense of our two agencies.
An easement agreement between the City and MVWSD for the City’s use of land at Crittenden Middle School for the extension of the Permanente Creek Trail which provides a safe route to school for students.
In addition, City staff will reach out to MVWSD staff to discuss the preferred approach for maintaining and scheduling the use of the separately owned but adjoining parcels of land enjoyed by the public as contiguous recreation space at Cooper and Whisman Parks. In addition, the City owns a parcel of land at Stevenson Elementary School adjacent to San Pierre Way that includes a portion of the parking lot and tennis court. Absent a JUA covering the Stevenson Elementary School, maintenance responsibilities for this City-owned property will need to be determined.
City staff will reach out to discuss next steps on the termination of the 2000 JUA and the transition of maintenance and scheduling responsibility for the school fields at Bubb, Castro, Imai, Landels, Vargas, Monta Loma, Stevenson, and Crittenden schools. In the meantime, MVWSD staff can contact Community Services Director John Marchant with any questions.
President Laura Ramirez Berman
September 13, 2023
On behalf of the City Council, I thank you for the joint use of school-owned field s over the past decades, and we look forward to ongoing partnership for other jointly owned property.
Sincerely,
Alison Hicks
Mayor
AH/MS/6/MGR
001-09-12-23L
cc: Mountain View Whisman Board of Trustees
Ayindé Rudolph, Superintendent, Mountain View Whisman School District Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, Mountain View Whisman School District Mountain View City Council
Kimbra McCarthy, City Manager
Audrey Seymour Ramberg, Assistant City Manager