School Play fields to Get Facelift

By Teresa Rochester

In an effort to literally level the playing fields at Santa Monica and Malibu elementary schools, the Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District unanimously approved a $6 million playground improvement plan, Tuesday night.

By the 2001 school year, district students may find themselves playing basketball on new or improved courts, jogging around crushed-granite exercise tracks, climbing new play structures or playing on bigger fields.

The project will be funded by money from Proposition X, a school bond approved by voters in 1998.

Assistant Superintendent, Chris Corliss, told board members that the improvements, which are need based, will lead to a more uniform play fields at the district's 10 elementary schools.

"We have very large enrollments at schools that have postage stamp space," he said. "We need to have similar facilities no matter where they [students] go."

Santa Monica elementary schools will receive $5 million for the improvements, which are scheduled to get underway in June, 2000, while Malibu Schools will receive $1 million. Malibu Middle School and Malibu High School will receive $750,000 for track and field improvements. Webster and Cabrillo Elementary Schools will receive $95,000 each of the remaining $250,000 and Point Dume will receive $60,000.

Corliss said the project will help improve physical education, recreation and youth sports programs by increasing the quantity, quality and accessibility to play fields and playground facilities where needed and increase opportunities for all students to participate in after school sports and recreation activities by increasing the accessibility of the facilities through a new shared use agreement with the City of Santa Monica.

In their 7 to 0 vote, the board directed district staff to work with the city in developing a joint use agreement, which would allow the city and school district to sponsor youth sports programs at various school sites and parks. At some schools community members would also be able to use playgrounds and fields for recreational use on weekends and after school hours.

In an effort to make the school ground accessible to users after school hours and on weekends Franklin, Grant, McKinley, Muir, Rogers, Roosevelt and Pt. Dume will also have restrooms and storage facilities built near their fields.

"I think the youth of this city will benefit from this for a long time to come," said Todd Hess, in his first full meeting as board president.