Essex Junction Recreation and Parks

Dear EJRP Families,

We are pleased to inform you that the Village of Essex Junction Board of Trustees and the Essex Junction Prudential Committee have reached an agreement, dismissing the lawsuit, and putting forward a shared plan to maintain the quality recreational programs that we offer.  The Essex Junction School District will continue to conduct the recreation programs in the Village of Essex Junction.  All scheduled summer programs will proceed as planned.

Thank you for your patience in dealing with this situation.  We look forward to returning our focus to people, parks, and programs, and continuing to serve our community in a meaningful way.

We appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Brad Luck, Director

Visit the CCSU website for more details on the resolution.

Essex Junction school and village officials are headed to court-ordered mediation Thursday in an effort to resolve the ongoing dispute regarding ownership of the Recreation and Parks Department in the community.

Village trustees and the Prudential Committee, which serves as the school board, will meet at 9 a.m. with mediator Michael Marks of Richmond at the Park Street School.

The school board plans to have a public meeting at 8:15 a.m. Thursday but expects to move into secret session, according to the proposed agenda.

Linda Waite-Simpson, the school board chairwoman, and Village President Deb Billado said Monday that they are hopeful common ground can be found.

Read the full article.

A Chittenden Superior Court judge has ordered Es­sex Junction school and vil­lage officials to try formal mediation by April 4 to solve the longstanding bick­ering over ownership of the Recreation And Parks De­partment in the community.

The court has scheduled a hearing for April 13 on a re­quest from the Essex Junc­tion Board of Trustees for a preliminary injunction to block the school district from holding recreation pro­grams at village-owned parks unless a new operat­ing agreement is reached.

Judge Helen Toor, in a conference call with lawyers from both sides Monday, said the school board and trustees need to sit down with a mediator and try to talk things out before turn­ing to the court for a ruling.

Read the full article.

"We express our continued interest for the parties to meet.  Upon the Board of Trustees dropping legal or suspending its actions, we formally invite the Trustees to a joint meeting with the PC on one of the following tentative dates: March 28, March 29, April 26, April 27, or April 28."

Continue reading for the full letter.

• The Trustees discuss the preliminary injuntion filed against the Essex Junction School District
• The Trustees discuss and move on the EJRP agreement from the Prudential Committee

Dear EJRP Families,

We are writing to inform you that a request for a preliminary injunction has been filed in Chittenden Superior Court by the Village of Essex Junction against the Essex Junction School District. If granted, the effect of the injunction would be that the Essex Junction School District would have no right to use the village parks property and would be trespassing as of July 1, 2011.

Since Essex Junction Recreation and Parks employees are employed by the Essex Junction School District, if the injunction is upheld, our summer staff would not be able to operate summer programs (Camp Maple Street, swim lessons, Skate Camp, etc.) at Maple Street, Cascade, or Stevens Park.

We have a historical dependence on the parks and pool for summer programming and we hope to run things as scheduled, however, we are currently working to think creatively on contingency plans if the injunction is granted. It is certain to say that camps and programs would look drastically different if our personnel did not have access to the parks and facilities at Maple Street Park. If we are unable to offer these programs at another location with the same level of quality, then we will issue refunds accordingly.

We cannot predict the outcome of the injunction or how things will proceed, but wanted to inform you of this possibility as early as possible.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Brad Luck, Director

On Friday, March 4, the Village of Essex Junction Board of Trustees (BoT) filed a legal motion requesting the Superior Court to grant the Village a preliminary injunction against the Essex Junction School District (EJSD) barring it from entering onto any of the Village-owned parks property. The motion was filed in a lawsuit in which the BoT challenges the right of EJSD to continue operating the Essex Junction Recreation and Parks (EJRP) programs, as it has for the last four decades.

The EJRP has been operated and administered by EJSD since 1970, and currently utilizes the Village-owned parks as its location for many EJRP programs and activities, including Maple Street Park and Pool. Recently, the actual governance of EJRP has been questioned by the BoT.

In effect, the BoT's requested injunction would declare EJSD to be a trespasser, and would ban EJSD from entering the parks property, upon which most of the EJRP programming and facilities sit. The filing of this motion for a preliminary injunction is pending approval by the Superior Court Judge and, if granted, would presumably be effective July 1, 2011. In the meantime, EJSD has been required to file an answer and its own counterclaims. EJSD seeks to continue operating the EJRP programs. Alternatively, if it is deemed a trespasser, EJSD has raised the question of how it should be compensated for the improvements to the park properties its taxpayers have paid for over the last several decades.

The village has requested a preliminary injunction in Chittenden Superior Court against the village school district in an effort to try to resolve the ownership dispute over the Parks and Recreation Department.

Village Trustee George Tyler took exception to the latest legal move during a trustees meeting Tuesday, saying the tactic had not been brought to the board.

Village Manager Dave Crawford said the injunction was a move determined by the village’s legal team in response to the trustees’ stated wishes to try to resolve the issue quickly.

Last month, the village requested a declaratory judgement from a Chittenden Superior Court judge to determine who owns the department. Crawford said the injunction is designed to help move the case in front of the judge more quickly.

Under the current recreation operating agreement, the notice to either continue or terminate it must be given by April 1. After July 1, the school district would have no right to use the village parks and would be trespassing, according to the injunction request. The village would be free to operate the department or contract with another party, including Essex or another community.

Read the full article.

Dave Neil, former EJRP Director, answers questions from the Recreation Advisory Council and shares his thoughts on recreation governance in Essex Junction. December 9, 2010.

Comments from the public and discussion on the EJRP agreement from the Prudential Committee.