After confusion and outrage over the future of a playing field in Marin City, school trustees have halted discussion about field use through the end of the year.
“In closed session, the board discussed price and terms of potential agreements related to Phillips Field,” Lauren Walters, the Sausalito Marin City School District board president, said after an emotional board meeting on Oct. 9. “The board determined it needed to reconsider those provisions and potential agreements. As a result, the board is pausing all negotiations at this time.”
Phillips Field, which is owned by the school district, has fallen into disrepair and has been used by only a few groups over the last decade or so. The district has just $3.5 million left from Measure P, a 2020 voter-approved bond measure, which is not enough to fix the field or even begin fundraising.
Amid the financial crunch, the Mill Valley Soccer Club approached the district with a possible financial contribution or partnership.
Other than the soccer club, two Marin-City sports groups are eager to use the field: Play Marin and the Marin City Sausalito Football Club.
The Marin Highlanders Rugby Club has used the field since 2003 on a rental basis, and has performed cleanup and maintenance.
A neighborhood group, MLK First, formed to oppose the Mill Valley Soccer Club’s use.
“Phillips Field belongs to Marin City,” the group said in an email. “It was built for our children, our families, and our community. It’s where the children play, build confidence, and find belonging close to home.”
“But today, our field is at serious risk of being taken over by outside interests,” the email said. “We must act quickly to stop it.”
Most of the 30 or so speakers out of 100 residents and student athletes at the Oct. 9 meeting agreed. They said the district should not accept outside financial support that could jeopardize the priority of Marin City kids to play there.
“Our people don’t play anymore,” said Terrie Green, a longtime Marin City parent and activist. “It’s time for equity.”
Green said she was in favor of having Play Marin, a recreation nonprofit, run Phillips Field on a rental basis.
Play Marin founder Paul Austin and the district have been in negotiations for over a year to do that, but they have not finalized a plan that would allow them to begin raising money, said Truth Doyle, a fundraiser with the organization. She said donors declined to contribute because Play Marin did not hold a lease.
“After 14 months of effort, we were caught off guard by the talks between MVSC and the district,” Doyle said in an email.
Of the anger and frustration expressed at the meeting, Doyle said, “it was inspiring to see our communities stand united.”
Alfie Pastor of the Marin City Sausalito Football Club, also known as “the Panthers,” said the club “always envisioned Phillips Field to be a home for the Panthers where they can thrive for decades to come.”
“The community came together in a flash understanding how important it is to stand up for our children and their future right here in Marin City,” Pastor said.
Bill Getty, a leader with the Mill Valley Soccer Club, said in an email that “the level of anger and distrust within the local Marin City community, while completely understandable given the history, is both palpable and heartbreaking.”
“We felt that our intentions were significantly misrepresented, which was disheartening, though we recognize how complex and sensitive this issue is,” Getty said.
Getty said the soccer club would be pulling out of the negotiations because of the negative response.
“At this point, we feel it’s best to step back and allow the district and community to shape a solution that feels right for them,” Getty said. “Our hope had been to explore a partnership that could serve as a bridge between Marin City, Mill Valley, and other nearby communities. The last thing we would ever want is for that effort to be viewed as divisive. ”
He said that “the idea that Mill Valley Soccer Club would seek control of Phillips Field to the detriment of the local community is entirely false and contrary to our values, both as individuals and as MVSC.”
LaResha Huffman, the school district superintendent, said the board and the administration would work together with the community over the next 120 days to “encourage active fundraising.”
“We plan to work collaboratively with community organizations to develop fair-use agreements for scheduled access to the field,” Huffman said.
The district plans to retain oversight of the facility, “ensuring that no single group has exclusive control and that all use complies fully with the Civic Center Act, which guarantees public access to school facilities for community benefit,” she said.
A public forum on the project is set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at 200 Phillips Drive in Marin City.