OAK PARK PROJECT INFORMATION

Rincon Valley Union School District Board of Education is:

March 28th Update

This meeting was be recorded and posted here. Click here to view

At our initial Board of Education Special Meeting/Study Session on the Oak Park property, the Board and community heard the results of the study and Board Members provided direction to staff to gather more information and bring it back to them for consideration at a future study session. Direction given to staff incorporated feedback received from the public, either directly, by way of attendance at the meeting, or via email, using the District's online submission form. 

Based on that direction, staff is working with DCG Properties to assimilate all input and prepare the information for further discussion at the upcoming study session at this March 28th meeting.

While it may not be practically possible to study all suggestions for the Property, the District wants to obtain as much community input as possible. Please be aware that if you previously submitted the online form, or if you spoke at the meeting, you do not need to do anything further. Your input is already being included as part of the process.

We thank you for your ongoing interest in the work of the RVUSD and look forward to our continuing partnership in support of great education for all our students!

February 14 Update

As the RVUSD Board of Education and Staff continue to explore future use of the Oak Park property, we wanted to inform you of important next steps.

Important Upcoming Dates:

  • February 24th - Last day for community members to provide input so it can be analyzed by DCG for the next Board meeting

  • March 28th - Second Board of Education Special Meeting/Study Session on the Oak Park property at 6:00PM at Sequoia Elementary (5305 Dupont Drive, Santa Rosa) 


This meeting will also be recorded and posted on our website.

At our initial Board of Education Special Meeting/Study Session on the Oak Park property, the Board and community heard the results of the study and Board Members provided direction to staff to gather more information and bring it back to them for consideration at a future study session. Direction given to staff incorporated feedback received from the public, either directly, by way of attendance at the meeting, or via email, using the District's online submission form. 

Based on that direction, staff is working with DCG Properties to assimilate all input and prepare the information for further discussion at the upcoming study session on March 28th.

At this time, we are inviting anyone who has not already provided input to complete our online form Found Here no later than February 24, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. While it may not be practically possible to study all suggestions for the Property, the District wants to obtain as much community input as possible. Please be aware that if you previously submitted the online form, or if you spoke at the meeting, you do not need to do anything further. Your input is already being included as part of the process. Questions and comments can be emailed to:  oakpark@rvusd.org

We thank you for your ongoing interest in the work of the RVUSD and look forward to our continuing partnership in support of great education for all our students!

Notes from January 30th Meeting

At our recent RVUSD Board of Education study session about the Oak Park property, members of the public brought forward safety concerns regarding unauthorized activity on the property. RVUSD staff investigated those concerns the following day and I want to let our entire community know that we will be taking the following actions:

Here is the recording of the meeting: Video

1. Regarding the houses currently on the property:

  • The houses will be further secured, as needed, throughout any vulnerable entry points.

  • We will be adding the Oak Park property/houses to the routes that our security services provide to our school sites on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. 

  • We will continue to ask our neighbors to report any suspicious activity to the Santa Rosa Police Department but also to our district head of maintenance using our emergency line: 707-308-3686

2. Regarding the trenching:

  • We will be filling in the illegal trenching that occurred on the property within the last two weeks and hope to avoid further such activity through the vigilance of our security services and our neighbors. 

  • It is worth noting that when this concern was raised by a member of the community at the study session, we did think that perhaps they were referring to some work that took place during the recent, extreme rain storms that were threatening flooding in the neighboring pre-school. However, when inspecting the property the day after the study session, we discovered that there was unauthorized, illegal trenching that took place on the property. As another measure of strong partnership between our District and the community, we am grateful that this point was mentioned and that we were able to take action.

On behalf of the Board Members, we want to thank you for being our partners in education and bringing these issues to our attention. We remain committed to being a good neighbor and are always available to hear community concerns regarding any of our district facilities.

Bringing you up-to-date information on the Rincon Valley Union Elementary School District's (RVUSD) review and recommendation process for the Oak Park property. Questions and comments can be emailed to:  oakpark@rvusd.org

Oak Park Property

WHAT

  • In 2018, the District acquired a parcel of land located on Badger Road.

  • The land remains an undeveloped asset

  • The RVUSD Board of Education has directed RVUSD staff to conduct a comprehensive review and create a facilities Master Plan for all District-owned property 

  • As a District facility, the Oak Park property will be considered as part of this overall review

  • After careful deliberation, and with input from the public, the Board will make a decision about what to do with the property, which may include doing nothing at all at this time

HOW

  • To ensure a thorough review, the District has enlisted DCG Strategies to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate what is possible for the Oak Park property 

  • The findings of the study will be used to determine the best use of the property to meet the needs of the District and the surrounding community

  • Public input will be sought out and considered as part of the decision-making process

WHY

  • The Board believes it is important to make informed decisions about District assets

  • The Board and the public have a need to fully understand the allowable options for this undeveloped asset

IMPORTANT FACTS

  • We cannot stress strongly enough that we are taking a fresh look at this property and will not necessarily be bound by prior plans for the property

  • We are not entering into this review with any preconceived notions

  • The public will play an important role in the decision-making process

  • We wish to understand what we can do so that we can fully explore viable options. 

  • The RVUSD Board and District Administration are keenly aware that this property was acquired with public funds and want what is in the public's best interest.

  • We are genuinely committed to a transparent and thorough process where every voice will have a chance to be heard

WHAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING

  • DCG Strategies is conducting a feasibility study of the property

NEXT STEPS

  • DCG will present findings to the Board of Education (December*)

  • Findings will be presented to the community (January 30th)

  • District and Board will accept community input through an ambitious, interactive community information and engagement plan.(January – February*) 

 *Timeline listed is approximate. The public will be notified of exact meeting dates in advance.

CONTACT US
If you are interested to receiving updated information about Oak Park add your email to this distribution list by sending an email to oakpark@rvusd.org. This that will be used to push out information about the process. Otherwise, keep an eye on this section of the website. This is a dedicated page to keeping everyone up to date on the Oak Park project.

Questions and comments can also be emailed to:  oakpark@rvusd.org