City to Pay School District $550,000 Annually For Facility Use

The Manhattan Beach City Council Tuesday night unanimously approved an agreement that will produce $550,000 for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. The agreement stems from months of talks between the two entities as they tried to develop terms that would reimburse the school district for city use of school district property. Since at least 1999, the city has paid less than $1 million dollars annually to maintain school property used for city-sponsored recreation programs and similar public recreational activities. The new agreement continues the city's maintenance operations of such facilities and adds in another $550,000 annually as a lease fee. The new terms last 3 years. "The school board is thrilled that by a 5-0 vote city council approved the agreement tonight with the school district," said Ida VanderPoorte, board president after the vote. "This is something that many current and former school board members and city council members have worked on for a long time. The residents of Manhattan Beach will benefit from this agreement." The new arrangement adds in the use of school hardscape areas such as basketball courts and the Mira Costa High School swimming pool.