On Monday, Dec. 12 the City of San Gabriel and the San Gabriel Unified School District will host a community meeting to educate the public about ways that the two agencies are working to more successfully share open space in the city.

The city and the district have launched a process to enhance existing Joint Use Agreements and develop new agreements, aiming to better utilize school sites as open park space in the evenings and on weekends. The city and the district propose to open two pilot park sites at Coolidge and Washington Elementary Schools. The sites will be open on the weekends, weekdays and holidays starting in May 2017, with additional weekday use available during the summer months.

With limited park and open space in the city, these agreements will help the city and the district manage school sites to get the most use out of them and add open space that the public can use. The proposed Joint Use Agreements are an exciting first step in a partnership the city and the district have worked toward for many years.

At the meeting, the community will also have an opportunity to review and weigh in on the proposed agreements for joint use of these two sites. In addition, community members will be asked to share their thoughts on future improvements that could be made to school sites for park use, as well as suggestions for other school sites that would be good for public open space.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Dec. 12 at the San Gabriel Unified School District Board Room, 408 Junipero Serra Drive.

For more information, contact the Community Services Department at 626.308.2875.