Shared Use of Schools and Community Facilities: Orientation Guide

A Partnership between The Halton Board of Education and the Muncipalities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville

Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO) Education Forum 1997 presentation.

See also: Shared Use of Schools and Community facilities: A User’s Guide

• Reciprocal Use Agreement
• WHO'S Involved?
• What are the Benefits?
• Everyone Plays a Part
• AS A USER...
• AS A FACILITY STAFF...
• Serving the Community
• For More Information

Preface

This orientation guide to the Reciprocal Use Agreement for schools and community facilities was produced in cooperation with the Halton Board of Education and the municipalities within Halton Region. Its purpose is to provide background information on the Agreement, describe how it works and highlight the benefits associated with this partnership. It also serves as a communication vehicle for politicians, school trustees, municipal staff as well as educators and school administrators.

Reciprocal Use Agreement

In 1974, a cooperative agreement was established between the Halton Board of Education and the municipalities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville. Both the Board and the Municipalities recognized the benefits of sharing community facilities and maximizing financial resources and therefore entered into this formal agreement. The fundamental purpose of this agreement was to develop a comprehensive program of community recreation and leisure education, while maximizing the use of existing Board and Municipal facilities.

The agreement is based on the following guiding principles:

• Board of Education facilities will be available for use by Municipalities;

• Municipal facilities including arenas and outdoor pools will be available for schools to use;

• The community's best interests are considered through cooperation and consultation between the Board and Municipalities for the design and use of present and future schools, recreation facilities and parks;

• Municipal and Board staff will consult and cooperate with each other in the planning of recreation programs and leisure education to ensure the community's needs and interests are met;

• The Municipality shall maintain selected school sites;

• Each parry shall be responsible for the maintenance of their own facilities;

• Schools and Municipalities will be responsible for any damage occurring during their own use of the facilities;

• The municipality will reimburse the Board for excess use of caretaking staff.

Initially, this agreement was administered by the Community Schools Administration Committee which included representation from Municipal Councils, Halton Board of Education Trustees, Halton Roman Catholic School Board Trustees, and employees from Municipal Parks and Recreation Departments, Halton Board of Education, and Halton Roman Catholic School Board. The Committee was charged with the responsibility of formulating the guiding principles and terms of the agreement. The administration of the agreement does not involve the exchange of dollars for services.

While this Committee is still identified and involved in the agreement, over the years a Sub-Committee comprised of staff from each of the four municipalities and the Board of Education has been responsible for monitoring the day-to-day management and administration of the agreement.

The Sub-Committee's activities include:

• Ensuring ongoing communication and cooperation between the Municipalities and the Board;

• Identifying facility needs and opportunities for joint development partnerships;

• Streamlining the facility booking process;

• Establishing standards for facility and parkland maintenance;

• Communicating user and operator concerns.

The Reciprocal Use Agreement constitutes the core agreement negotiated between the four municipalities and the Halton Board of Education. In addition, there are a number of subsequent stand alone agreements and informal relationships which have developed between the Board and some of the municipalities. These deal primarily with the exchange of services over and above those articulated in the core agreement.

Each municipality has its own individual relationship with the Board of Education regarding:

• Joint capital construction (eg., stadiums);

• Shared use agreements (eg., pools);

• Shared facility development (eg., creative play structures).

WHO'S Involved?

The agreement affects the lives of every resident in Halton Region in one way or another. It benefits:

• All taxpayers;

• Community decision makers who develop policies for school and recreation facility use;

• Thousands of children, youth, adults and seniors who use the services of schools and recreation facilities;

• Staff who program, operate and maintain these facilities.

What are the Benefits?

Over the past twenty years, this agreement has served us well and has resulted in better and more cost-effective services for Halton residents. For example:

Maximized Use of Recreation and School Facilities

Open space in recreation facilities is made available during the day to students and teachers to enhance education and healthy physical development opportunities. Consequently, daytime use of recreation facilities and evening use of schools has increased significantly. In these days of shrinking resources, it is gratifying to know that residents can still enjoy maximum services.

Minimized Duplication of Capital Costs

By sharing existing facilities and sports fields, both Municipalities and the Board have had to build fewer indoor and outdoor recreation, sport and cultural facilities. This has, in turn, reduces the financial burden on the taxpayer.

Affordable Facilities for Community Groups

Community recreation groups can use school facilities at less cost than the rental of other facilities. This, in turn, results in more programs and opportunities for voluntarism.

Coordinated Program and Service Delivery

Coordination of activities not only prevents duplication, it ensures resources are used efficiently and effectively. Working as a team, the Board and the Municipalities determine which agency can best provide the services desired by the community. This cooperative approach ensures resources are used to their maximum capacity.

Safe Environments and Pride In the Community

With this agreement, everyone shares responsibility for the facilities. This brings a greater sense of ownership, pride and commitment to ensure safe neighbourhoods for all residents.

Opportunities for Learning, Growth and Development

Residents can participate in rewarding recreational activities, develop new skills, improve overall health and well-being and feel good about their involvement in the community. Commnunities also grow stronger as voluntarism and the development of community leaders increase as a result of participation in activities.

Maximized Opportunities for Children and Youth

In addition to providing more opportunities to learn new skills and participate in a variety of sports, children and youth have a chance to develop valuable lifeskills and participate in meaningful activities that will heighten their self-esteem. Children and youth also gain a greater sense of ownership and respect for community facilities, while parents and families have the security of knowing that their children are in safe,

Everyone Plays a Part

Everyone who uses or works at a school or municipal recreation facility has a responsibility to cooperate and make the agreement work. With ongoing cooperation, we can continue to offer the full range of benefits which the community has come to expect.

The responsibilities of staff and users are clearly defined in the agreement and are articulated in a "User's Guide" which is available to all individuals involved. The Guide describes the responsibilities as follows:

To begin with, both users and staff need to adhere to some basic operating procedures which include:

• Providing sufficient notification of cancellation or changes to the permit;

• Following established policies and procedures regarding: booking space, rain outs, inclement weather, facility use during school holidays and P.A. days, maintenance, season for outdoor field use, (i.e. opening and closing dates), priority of use and appropriateness of use.

In addition specific responsibilities for both users and staff have also been defined.

AS A USER...

Responsibilities in this partnership are to:

• Communicate with the facility staff;

• Use only the areas of the facility which are indicated on your permit;

• Demonstrate courtesy, politeness and respect for facility staff;

• Comply with the terms of the rental agreement (including arrival and departure times, rain out policies, etc.);

• Ensure the permit holder is responsible for on-site supervision at all times;

• Comply with the booking procedures, regulations and permit conditions (i.e., equipment use, appropriate activity, etc.);

• Encourage safe, clean and carefully maintained environments;

• Recognize that the facility staff are in charge;

• Support the facility staff who are responsible for the security and protection of the property;

• Leave the facility in the same condition as is was upon arrival.

AS A FACILITY STAFF...

Responsibilities in this partnership are to:

• Communicate with the user;

• Work in cooperation with the user to ensure the facility is properly set up for their needs;

• Inform users of how they can reach you in an emergency;

• Demonstrate courtesy, politeness and respect for users;

• Support well supervised programs;

• Monitor and evaluate the appropriateness of the facility use.

Serving the Community

This partnership has been, and will continue to be successful due to the courtesy, and mutual respect demonstrated by the users and facility staff. This cooperation will continue to support well supervised programs and encourage safe, clean and carefully maintained environments. To this end we all have an obligation to support the facility staff who are responsible for the security and protection of the property and applaud those users who are organizing high quality physical education and recreation programs for our community.

Together, our partnership will provide a line of communication between all parties to make this agreement work for everyone. The Reciprocal Use Agreement benefits almost a half a million people who live, work and play in Halton Region and we want to continue to share in the benefits that this partnership offers to us all.

For More Information

For more information on our partnership, please contact a municipal or Board representative in your community.

City of Burlington
Parks and Recreation Department
426 Brant Street P.O. Box 5013 Burlington, Ontario
L7R 3Z6
(905) 335-7721 Fax (905) 335-7782

Town of Halton Hills
Recreation and Parks Department
I Halton Hills Drive, P.O. Box 123
Halton Hills, Ontario
L7G 5G2
(905) 873-2600 Ext. 263 Fax (905) 873-2347

Halton Board of Education
> J.W. Singleton Centre
2050 Guelph Line,
P.O. Box 5005
Burlington, Ontario
L7R 3Z2

(905) 335-3665 Ext. 2214 Fax (905)333-4299

Town of Milton
Department of Leisure Services
Victoria Park Square
P.O. Box 1005
Milton, Ontario
L9T 4B6
(905) 878-7211 Ext. 181 Fax (905) 878-6995

*Active people figures provided by ParticipACTION and Summer Active

*Financial support provided by The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation