For over a year, Fillmore citizens have been lobbying the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) to allow public access to the new all-weather track installed at Fillmore High School (FHS). Both the City Council and the School Board had given their approval to the development of a pilot program for community access to the track at specifically scheduled times through a Runners’ Club. A public meeting for interested runners and walkers regarding the formation of the club and the start of the pilot program will be held at the District Office Boardroom (627 Sespe Ave.) on August 3, 2009 at 7 p.m. Assistant Superintendent Mike Bush and Deputy City Manager Bill Bartels expect the club to have access to the track starting in mid-August or late September, depending partly on how the meeting goes.

Two main issues which had to be resolved by City and FUSD staff before the pilot could proceed were supervision and liability. Insurance is part of the liability issue. As early as August 2008, there was an understanding among School Board members that the track had been used by the community in the past, the community would like to continue using the track, and that most of the public advocates were hoping for a compromise that would allow public access to the track without significantly increasing the risk of damages. On Aug 19, 2008, the School Board decided that the public should only have access to the track through the Civic Center Act to limit damages and liabilities. The Act allows organizations to apply at the District for permits specifying dates to use school facilities. A private organization would have been charged a rental fee of $125 per hour for use of the track and field, in addition to the costs of obtaining insurance and paying school employees to supervise running time. At the September 2008 joint City Council-School Board meeting, it was agreed that City and FUSD staff would work out the issues involved before handing the formation of a public running club over to Parks and Recreation. Bartels explained that because the City and FUSD have a Joint Use of Facilities Agreement, the hope is to make the club affordable for its members, the City, and FUSD.

The usual liability coverage for joint use will apply: when the City uses FUSD facilities, the City’s insurance covers the event; when FUSD uses City facilities, FUSD’s insurance covers the event. Since the Runners’ Club will be a City entity and the track belongs to FUSD, the City’s insurance group, Joint Powers Insurance Authority (JPIA), will provide primary coverage.

Runners and walkers who want access to the track will be required to join the club, read track rules, and sign a waiver. For the initial pilot, the track will be open at the same time as morning lap swim: from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. Club members will check in through the pool office, access the track through a gate in the back of the pool area, and check out when they leave. That process will address FUSD’s concerns regarding supervision.

The current entry to the track is through a path on the FHS campus, and club members would reach that path only through the pool area. A gate will be placed to prevent the public from using the path to access other parts of the campus. There had been talk of creating gates either west or east of the tennis courts to allow access without going through the pool complex, but City and FUSD staff decided that access through the pool complex would provide better supervision for the pilot program. The pool was only recently opened to the public, and Bartels wanted to ensure the safe and trouble-free operation of the pool before adding track access as a factor in management of the facility.

Bartels said that the pilot might be ready to expand into a regular program after one month, if it was working well. He expressed confidence in Bush’s ability and willingness to quickly implement a running program as soon as any issues brought to light by the pilot program are resolved. Eventually, afternoon or evening runs might be allowed. The Civic Center Act declares that school events should be given scheduling priority over non-school events. Last year’s track and stadium schedule did not leave much time available for non-school activities. The campus was closed for school from 7:55 a.m. to 3:07 p.m. and the track was closed to the public during practices. Various sports teams were scheduled to use the track and/or stadium for practice until 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 8:30 p.m., or 9:00 p.m. depending on the season and day.

At a March 31, 2009 joint meeting, the Board and Council together reviewed their Joint Use Agreements and directed staff to bring them up-to-date. Bartels and Bush have been meeting to discuss the Joint Use Agreement between the City and FUSD since then. The umbrella part of the Joint Use Agreement is completely negotiated. City Attorney Ted Schneider has reviewed it, and has approved some of the concepts in the facility-by-facility part of the joint use agreement. The pilot program will inform the final version of the Joint Use Agreement.