Blog Post < Previous | Next >
Friends of Fields
A Call to Action by the The Mill Valley Friends of Parks & Recreation Board
The following "Call to Action" letter has been distributed in the community by the The Mill Valley Friends of Parks & Recreation Board
Friends,
On February 1, 2024, the Mill Valley School District (MVSD) decided to explore building the new middle school on Friends Field. We believe that the construction of a school on Friends Field, immediately adjacent to the community center, is ill-conceived and would be damaging to our community in both the near and long term.
Voice your opinion!
Attend the "MEASURE G - Community Forum" at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on February 13th, in the Mill Valley Middle School Library, and notify your friends and neighbors about the situation.
OUR CONCERNS:
The loss of Friends Field -- Irreplaceable athletic and recreational facilities that the people of Mill Valley treasure and that play a vital role in our youth sports and community gatherings. Given budget and space constraints, we see little or no realistic possibility that comparable facilities would be rebuilt at an alternative location.
We believe MVSD’s
consultants are significantly underestimating the cost and complexity of
building on Friends Field, as well as the challenges they would face
with the required environmental review process. There is a big
difference between building on an undeveloped vs. already developed
site, particularly when it’s located on a former landfill and directly
adjacent to a protected wetland.
There are significant and
costly ADA, emergency vehicle access, and other traffic issues associated with
new construction on Friends Field that would not be an issue remodeling the existing
middle school. A new fire truck loaded bridge to cross the creek is
just one example.
We would like to see a more measured process, with greater collaboration between MVSD, the City and other key stakeholders. There is a great deal of context, history and site specific knowledge that could benefit the design process, and ultimately the students and all residents of Mill Valley.
We hope that you will consider playing a role in resolving an issue that will have lasting consequences for current and future Mill Valley residents. We encourage you to learn more about the history of Friends Field, the Community Center, and the Middle School here on the City of Mill Valley website.
Included is a link to an extensive and well researched list of concerns related to the Friends Field option.
We encourage you to email your views to the School Board and Superintendent at;
LetterstotheBoardofTrustees@mvschools.org.
Voice your opinion!
Attend the "MEASURE G - Community Forum" at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on February 13th, in the Mill Valley Middle School Library, and notify your friends and neighbors about the situation.
The School District will be making its decision soon and the time to act is now!