SAN GABRIEL, CA – San Gabriel Unified will allow community members to use parks, gyms and other facilities over the next five years to offset the city’s lack of public recreation space.

A five-year agreement between the school and city authorizes evening and weekend use of basketball courts, tennis courts and fields; the city’s summer day camp and recreation program will have access to indoor facilities, such as gymnasiums.

The deal replaces and expands a long-standing pact to share fields at McKinley Elementary and tennis courts at Roosevelt Elementary as well as a 2004 agreement allowing use of the Jefferson Middle School gymnasium.

The new deal adds Coolidge, Washington and Wilson elementary schools and Gabrielino High school to the list. Starting in May, the program will focus on Coolidge and Washington – chosen due to frequent resident and parent requests and the area’s lack of public parks.

“The District is glad to help the city provide our community with additional space for public activities,” SGUSD Superintendent Dr. John Pappalardo said. “We see this agreement as a benefit not only to our city’s residents, but to our students as well, who can use our school facilities to engage in more activities that inspire personal growth.”

San Gabriel contains 17 acres of park space, far less than 160 acres the city hopes to eventually provide. In the initial stages of the agreement, school facilities will bring that park space up to 29.2 acres. If all targeted facilities are used, park space will increase to 37.3 acres.

“We’re really proud to have a fine partnership with the school district and this was a chance to get our two teams together and work collaboratively to expand our mutual interests,” San Gabriel City Manager Steven Preston said.