Background: The SR City Schools Board of Directors (“SRCS Board”) is seriously considering the potential sale of several “surplus”properties, including a portion of the Glenwood School property. This action came as a surprise to many in our area when some of us received a copy of a letter on April 18, 2024, regarding a public Q&A session on the proposal to be held on April 29, 2024. See the posting on our website on April 18.
We later learned of an earlier SRCS Board notice dated March 15, 2024 directed “to political subdivisions of this state, public entities, agencies, and nonprofit charitable and pubIic benefit corporations”. It states that “if any Eligible Public or Nonprofit Entity receiving this Notice is interested in purchasing, leasing, or leasing with option to purchase” this property, they must submit a letter of intent and offer by May 31, 2024. See the full notice posted on our website on April 29, 2024.
Actions: As a result of meetings and discussions with other local community organizations, the Coalition wrote a letter to the SRCS Board stating concerns with the process and procedures being used by the SRCS Board, the apparent hasty schedule, and the serious lack of public involvement. That letter, dated May 13, 2024, is shown below. The Coalition, along with other local community organizations also communicated their concerns to the Marin Independent Journal, which published an article on May 16, 2024 (shown below).
While the ultimate disposition and use of this surplus property is yet to be determined, the Coalition and other local organizations urge the SRCS Board to slow down the process and engage the community to determine the “highest and best” use of this property. Such considerations would involve community impact, wetlands preservation, recreation and other factors in addition to monetary concerns. Information about the Glenwood Wetlands and the Coalition’s longstanding interest in the preservation, enhancement, and educational value of them are posted on our Glenwood Wetlands page.