Joint Use Agreement
Volumes of economic data speak to the multiple benefits that quality schools and parks have on a community. In Folsom, CA these economic benefits have been enhanced through the Folsom Cordova Unified School District and City of Folsom partnering in joint designs, co-developments, and the coordinating of operations, programming and scheduling. All of this has been formally organized into what we call the district’s and city’s Joint Use and Operational Agreement.
City of Folsom
Folsom Cordova Unified School District
Meeting the changing needs of Folsom’s growing community.
The Joint Use Agreement was created to share the development costs of amenities that have enough value where both entities reap the benefits. Joint development projects are key components that demonstrate the success of the joint use and operational agreements.
- Adjacent Parks / Separate Facilities – a school that has an adjacent park has proved to create enhanced value to the school and park for joint use of each other’s facility.
- Overlapping Facilities in Schools and Parks – through joint planning, facilities were created that would not have been possible because of property lines.
- Joint Use Facilities – the largest ongoing portion of the joint use and operational agreement is the use of each other’s facilities. 31 sites (16 parks, 15 schools) with 360 joint use facilities.
- Joint Programming / Joint Maintenance – the ability to meet the maintenance needs when the partnership pulls their resources (maintenance, landscaping, small capital improvements).
- Partnering for Capital Improvements – through voter approved bonds, this allowed the district, city elected officials and staff to develop amenities that benefit both the schools and the community.
- Adopt a Facility Program and Partial Cost Recovery – allows the partnership between the community youth sports leagues, Folsom Athletic Association, school district, and city to enhance the maintenance and design standards of all athletic facilities within the Folsom community. Recognizing the facility use inequity, a partial cost recovery fee was developed to balance the scale of joint use agreement. Provides centralized and priority scheduling of athletic facilities.
- Service Delivery Plan – created as a guiding tool in meeting the short-term and long-term recreational and sports facility needs of the community. The plan’s policies and procedures provide the structure for Folsom Parks and Recreation, Folsom Cordova Unified School District, the Folsom Athletic Association, and community youth sports leagues to partner on the implementation of best practices.
- Operational Agreement – the agreement between the city and district serves as a supplement to the Joint Use Agreement and provides a mechanism to monitor, refine, modify, and evaluate the on-going operational issues.
Working together, having the belief and support from all entities in this partnership, laid the foundation for the success of the Joint Use Agreement.
Where it began …
Historic records show that early founders understood the benefits of collaboration and laid the foundation for the Joint Use Agreement.
Amos P. Catlin, Richard Garbett “R.G.” Smith and William “Ed” Mitchell are three of many community activists who understood the importance of quality schools and the value of parks have on the community. Along with hundreds of other civic-minded individuals, they laid the foundation for what has become a statewide model Joint Use and Operational Agreement.
The Joint Use Agreement was created in 1965; the Operational Agreement in 2004. A full copy of the agreements are available upon request.
Contact Folsom Parks & Recreation at 916‑461‑6606 for a copy.
P.O. Box 835
Folsom, CA 95763-835
