Parking plan Parking plan (May 21, 2004)

PUSD OK's joint parking agreement
by Teresa C. Brown

After months of planning and discussion, the school district and Valley Community Church have ironed out lease details for the new joint venture parking lot structure to be built at Amador Valley High School at 1155 Santa Rita Road.

Pleasanton Unified School District board trustees unanimously approved May 11 the lease agreement with the church for the two-story structure proposed for the southwestern corner side of the campus on Del Valle Parkway, adjacent to the girls' varsity softball field.

"We've been talking for some time about placing the Valley Community Church parking structure on Amador," said Sandra Lemmons, assistant superintendent, Business Services.

"We have finally, after several months, come to you with agreements we've worked through," she said. "We're talking about a 40-year relationship."

The lease agreement directs the church to pay the district $1 annually for 40 years. While the district will provide the routine maintenance for the structure, both will equally share the costs, and the agreement would also allow either the district or the church to terminate the contract.

The cooperative arrangement also sets the guidelines for the joint use of the 156-parking space structure. The school would have exclusive use of the structure from 6 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday, as well as during other scheduled school events.

Valley Community Church, which is funding the structure's construction costs that could reach $3 million, would have sole use of the parking facility from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. every Sunday. Additionally, in return for the school having full use every weekday, the church would receive 39 designated reserved parking spaces along the northwest side of the structure.

Once the church board has formally approved the agreements, construction designs will be submitted to the Department of State Architect with construction possibly taking place in the summer of 2005.

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