The upkeep of Catalina High School shared facilities - who does what?
By Steve P.
Have you ever walked the perimeter of Catalina High School and wondered who worked to upkeep the grounds? Did you know that the area is part of an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) that splits the responsibility between Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) and the City of Tucson? In this post, Steve P. lays out information about the old & new joint use agreements so folks might know who to contact if they have any concerns.
In June of 1996 the Tucson Unified School District and the City of Tucson ratified an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) regarding the joint use of public facilities on and around the Catalina High School (CHS) campus. These areas included the pool, skating areas, playground, tennis courts and some of the field areas and parking lots around these neighborhood amenities. It has been amended several times and the responsibilities changed a bit over the years. In 2021, the IGA was rewritten and responsibilities changed again in some major areas.
This is an attempt to make you aware of just which governmental organization is responsible for which part of the shared facilities, so you will know who to contact if you have special concerns or need certain issues addressed.
According the 2021 IGA:
Catalina HS or TUSD employees (or their private vendors) are totally responsible for maintaining the landscaping around the exterior of Catalina High School and along the city streets adjacent to CHS. City of Tucson (CoT) Parks Maintenance staff is to tend to the areas just West of the tennis courts inside the boundary fence of CHS, North of the Pool Parking lot, as well as the areas around the pool and playground and its parking area. The playground just north of the pool is fenced off from the rest of the CHS grounds, so it can now be accessed at anytime during daylight hours, 7 days a week. CoT is responsible for cleaning the areas around the playgraound/pool and maintaining the equipment and newly replaced shade covering. Pool maintenance is strictly a CoT issue.
The lighted tennis courts in the SW part of the CHS campus are available during non-school hours and the lighted skating areas can be used by City residents during school hours (unless reserved for special school or other use). The CoT is to maintain the courts (nets included) and the lighting for the tennis and skating areas, as well as general maintenance within. Resurfacing of the parking lots at the tennis/skating area and the pool will be jointly shared between the City and TUSD when appropriate. The CoT is to install signage to make sure local residents are aware of any hour limitations for the use of any shared facilities.
Under the previous agreement, the CoT maintained and scheduled events on the CHS fields (baseball, soccer fields, etc.). The 2021 IGA returns this responsibility completely to the TUSD.
