Facilities Committee approves joint-use agreement to send to full board; Memorandum formalizes long-standing practices

The Norwalk Board of Education Facilities Committee on Jan. 29 voted to move a proposed joint-use agreement between Norwalk Public Schools and the City—s Recreation and Parks Department to the full Board for consideration.

Robert Stowers, director of Recreation and Parks, told the committee the agreement is intended to formalize long-standing cooperative practices, clarify priority of use (the school retains primary use for institutional and PTO activities), document maintenance responsibilities, set insurance and financial procedures, and establish an annual reporting requirement from Recreation and Parks to the Board and the city council.

Assistant Superintendent Sandra (last name not specified) told the committee the draft reflects back-and-forth review with the district—s attorney and the city attorney; she said the document captures existing practices that had not previously been memorialized.

A motion to forward the agreement to the full Board was made and seconded; a recorded voice vote included an "Aye" from Ashley Gulias. The committee approved moving the agreement forward.

Committee members asked for clarity about how the agreement would affect specific facilities while Norwalk High School is under reconstruction; staff said pools and major facilities would remain online until their replacements open, and Dan from Construction Solutions Group said details about fields and site sequencing would be provided in his project updates.

The committee will place the agreement on the full Board agenda for final approval.