One of the best aspects of a small island community is that we frequently share mutual goals and support each other to succeed.

The partnership between the Vashon Park District and Vashon Island School District is a good example of coming together to encourage broad access to resources and facilities for youth and adults to use outside of school hours and programs. We share the following values: 1) provide access and use of the amazing resources the community has supported for the parks and the schools; 2) prioritize use by sports teams in season; 3) prioritize use by islanders and non-profit groups; and, 4) be financially responsible for preserving the quality and maintenance of our resources for long term use.

The community has consistently and equally supported the school district and the park district to build and upgrade facilities and to champion community use of fields and gyms. We all benefit from this arrangement and recognize that we are a unique location without alternatives — we do not have a community sports center, for example.

The Commons Agreement has existed since the late 1980s and provides a valuable framework for managing the responsibilities for shared use by the Park District of School District resources. It comes up for renewal every five years and we are now in a period where we are examining ways to improve the operations and provide additional clarity in how we work together. The meeting we had with Parks user groups on Monday, Feb. 7 was beneficial in illuminating additional questions and areas of concern.

I respect that the Commons Agreement was drafted by neighbors and friends and people have personal stakes in the outcome. I remain optimistic that the end result is a stronger partnership between the Park District and School District that continues to support wide access at reasonable rates to the community.

In this process, we will gain better resolution on understanding the actual incremental costs to the School District in supporting extra-curricular use (something the public should know). We are working to identify ways to be more operationally efficient and effective in fulfilling our mutual obligations in the partnership while protecting the personal touch and flexibility end-users appreciate. The working relationship between Parks and Schools is better than it has been for many years and is the foundation upon which we can improve the management of all facilities for broad community use.

Going forward, we have paused any immediate decisions related to the Commons Agreement or software systems and will continue to work through the Commons Committee. This committee is the vehicle for the Park District and School District to ensure engagement by end-user groups and other key stakeholders.

There is more information to gather and share as we work collaboratively towards the best possible outcome for the Park District, School District, and the entire Vashon community.

Toby Holmes is the board chair of Vashon Island School District.