Marquez resident George Kalmar is in the process of creating a nonprofit organization to reopen Marquez Charter Elementary School’s playground to the public during non-school hours. On September 3, Principal Phillip Hollis announced that the lower yard, with climbing structures, basketball courts and a kickball field, would be closed because of a lack of a liability agreement between the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District. The city and LAUSD had a joint-use agreement in 2002 to keep the playground open to the public during non-school hours. The agreement was not renewed after that year, but the playground was inadvertently kept open. The playground is now open Monday through Friday from school dismissal at 1:50 p.m. until 5 p.m. through LAUSD’s Youth Services and the Beyond the Bell Program. This free after-school program allows second- through fifth-grade students to play on the playground under adult supervision. Kalmar, whose 6-year-old son, Jonah, attends Marquez, thinks it’s important that the spacious playground continue to be available to the public on the weekends, over the holidays and during the summer when school is not in session. He circulated a petition at Marquez Elementary’s ‘Back to School Pick Nick,’ and Marquez parent Peter Duke posted a Web site: www.openplayground.org. They collected about 200 signatures that were sent to city and LAUSD officials. Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association President Haldis Toppel was asked to become the spokesperson for the residents. ’In today’s tough budget environment, neither the city nor LAUSD is willing to take on the liability,’ Toppel told the Palisadian-Post. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s staff arranged for Toppel to talk with LAUSD about a partnership with the community. Toppel met with Eileen Ma, LAUSD deputy director of leasing and asset management; Timothy Bower, administrator for Beyond the Bell; Larry Chatman, head of risk management and insurance services; and Kirsten Isaacson, school and community coordinator. They discussed having the community pay for extending the hours of Beyond the Bell, but that program would not be available on Sundays or holidays, when the public uses the playground the most, Toppel said. Plus, it would cost $20 per hour for the playground supervisor, totaling about $36,000 annually. ’After all the various options were exhausted, Eileen Ma suggested a nonprofit organization assume the liability insurance,’ Toppel said. From the discussion, ‘it appears it’s not cost-prohibitive,’ Toppel said of buying the insurance. She and Kalmar are collaborating with LAUSD on potential insurance options, and she estimates that it will not exceed $2,000 per year. Toppel and LAUSD agreed that the playground would be open during daylight hours only, and ACS Security, a 24-hour dedicated patrol company that serves the Marquez Knolls neighborhood, would open and lock the gate at specified times. The nonprofit organization would not need to hire an onsite supervisor; however, it would have to ensure the playground is kept clean. ’It’s great that the community is willing to become engaged in a positive solution,’ Rosendahl told the Post on Monday. ‘I can’t praise Haldis Toppel enough.’ Kalmar has sent a letter to the residents who signed the petition asking them to join the organization, Friends of the Playground. He especially needs assistance from those with legal and accounting backgrounds. ’Several people have already offered financial help,’ Kalmar said. Those interested in contributing or participating in Friends of the Playground should e-mail open.playground@yahoo.com.
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