Joint Council, School Board Meeting to Tackle $1.25 Million Appropriation Tonight

The Pasadena City Council will meet in a joint session with the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday in a 6:30 p.m. meeting in the City Council Chamber slated to focus on, among other items, a joint use agreement which would appropriate $1.25 million from Pasadena’s General Fund.

Also to be discussed is an update on the PUSD Asset Management Plan, including the potential lease/sale of the Linda Vista School site.

Other items include an update from the City of Pasadena Human Services and Recreation and Housing departments on the city-wide needs assessment and process for Human Services, Recreation, and Housing program needs.

The joint boards will recognize John Muir High School Teacher Manuel Rustin as Distinguished Recipient of the Milken Educator Award, and recognize Pasadena High School’s Pedro Loeza and Ashley Mercado for their participation in the California “State of the City” Student Reporting Program.

The request to appropriate $1.25 million from the General Fund reserve for Designated Capital-Related Projects will be considered and recommended upon execution of the Addendum by the City Manager. At the February 15, 2010 Joint City Council\PUHS Board meeting, both agencies approved a new master joint use agreement that envisioned a number of joint use projects including two new gymnasiums at two PUSD middle schools.

At the Joint City Council/School Board meeting on February 16, 2011 of both agencies approved the City’s participation in the construction and use of the gym at Washington Middle School.

At Tuesday’s meeting, officials will be asked to approve an Addendum for the construction and use of the McKinley Middle School Gymnasium.

McKinley School, a Kindergarten through 8th grade facility, is located in a “park-deficit” portion of the City. It is one of the few schools in the downtown area. The neighborhoods surrounding the school are densely populated. According to the 2007 Green Space, Recreation and Parks Master Plan, residents in this area of the City have limited access to recreational opportunities and open space.

One of the goals of the City is to continue to explore and develop joint-use relationships with the school district, particularly in areas where there are park deficits. In 2008, the City and PUSD approved a joint-use agreement for the playground area on the McKinley School campus, south of Del Mar Boulevard and east of El Molino Avenue.

On weekends, this school/park is open to the public and is utilized by residents living near the school. Partnering with PUSD for the construction of the new gym is the next step to providing greater recreational opportunities for the southwest portion of the City. Similar to the Washington Gym agreement, the McKinley Gym will provide an office area for City staff and storage area for City equipment.

Users will have access to common areas such as the lobby, concessions space and restrooms. On an available basis, community members will also have outside access to hard courts for basketball and volleyball. Activities available for the community include, but will not be limited to, basketball, volleyball, fitness and aerobics classes, and tournaments. Community users will have access to on-site parking.

Under this agreement, the City-use period during the school year will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends with the exception of
scheduled PUSD events. The City will be the primary operator during out of school hours. Summer weekday hours may potentially be increased due to limited summer
school usage.

The PUSD Board of Education took action on June 30, 2010 to approve a Notice of Exemption for the entire renovation of the McKinley School Campus, of which the new
gym is a portion of that plan. Community outreach for the project, including the construction of a new gym, included three separate meetings on February 22, 201 0;
November 17, 2010; and February 9, 2011. Construction is expected to commence summer 2012, and open for use a year later.

A detailed schedule of proposed use of the gymnasium and the outside recreation areas will be developed for the subsequent Conditional Use Permit which will be required for City usage. The City hours of use and types of activities are consistent with the use of the Washington Middle School Gym with the exception of use of the multipurpose fields.

The City does not utilize the sports fields at McKinley School as they are unlighted. Activities anticipated for the McKinley gym include basketball, fitness, dance and aerobics classes and tournaments.

In the event PUSD decides to sell the McKinley School property, PUSD would be required to reimburse the City for the $1.25 million investment up to 100% if the sale
occurs within ten years of construction, and 50% if the sale occurs within 20 years.

The proposed joint use addendum for the McKinley Gym furthers the City Council’s Strategic Plan Goals of Improving and Enhancing Public Facilities as well as supporting and promoting quality of life through programming that benefits the Community. It also furthers the School District’s Strategic Priorities of a Quality Learning Environment High Quality Facilities as well as Meaningful Collaboration and Partnerships.

The PUSD Board approved a Notice of Exemption (NOE) on June 30, 2010, for a larger renovation project at the McKinley School which included construction of the new
gymnasium. The City’s use of the gymnasium will require the City to conduct the necessary CEQA review and receive approval of a Conditional Use Permit. The City has estimated the
overall days and times that the gymnasium would be used will be developed in the future.

The cost of this action will be $1,250,000. It is anticipated that $1,250,000 of the cost will be expended and received during fiscal year 2013. Costs associated with operating the Gymnasium and related user fees will be reflected in the Fiscal Year 2013 Human Services and Recreation Budget.