As many of our community members have been aware, the Mill Valley Middle School was set to undergo an exciting transformation. The proposed Mill Valley Middle School Modernization Project sought the replacement of the existing buildings with a modern, new structure. The current 100,000 square feet of buildings will be replaced by a new 83,000-square-foot building, while the existing gymnasium will be remodeled. During construction, students and staff would use an interim campus with 35 modular classrooms in the school’s parking lots and open areas.
For now, however, those plans are on pause. According to the Marin IJ, environmental issues have put plans for a new $130 million Mill Valley Middle School on hold, according to consultants for the school district. The delay is for more studies at the campus at 425 Sycamore Ave., which used to be a burn dump. The district’s plan is to demolish the school and rebuild it at the same site.
Sandrine Hitchcock, a program manager for the construction consulting firm AECOM, discussed the project during a public forum on Thursday, saying the last step of the California Environmental Quality Act process is expected in July. “We don’t know how soon after that we could begin construction — it could be five months, it could be six months or more,” Hitchcock said. The original deadline for the CEQA final determination was January 2025, the district said in a presentation at the forum. Grassetti Environmental Consulting, a firm in Berkeley, is working on the environmental impact report, the district said. The draft EIR, which had been scheduled to be finished this month, is now set to be released in February.
Laura Knauss, a project architect, confirmed that she is suspending work on the school design in the event the environmental reports indicate that changes need to be made. A demographic report could also mean the size of the new school would be reduced. “We don’t want to overbuild,” Knauss said of the preliminary demographic data, which indicate that the school capacity could be lowered from 1,200 students to 950 students. “We’re waiting on the demographic projections.”
Knauss said that even if the CEQA process is over by July, it will still take her firm several months to restart work and complete the design. “And we would still need to send it to DSA,” Knauss said, referring to the California Division of the State Architect, which governs approvals for school designs.
School parent Susan Dawson, one of several dozen people to attend the forum in person or online, said she was glad the design plans were put on hold. Dawson said the break will preserve funds from the $194 million bond measure that voters approved for school upgrades.
A new parents’ website, MVMSModernizationMess.com, recommended that the district should take over its Terra Marin preschool site at 70 Lomita Ave. and use it for the temporary classrooms. The district has been trying to evict Terra Marin over a lease dispute, and Terra Marin officials indicated this week that the preschool has agreed to vacate school district building.
Currently, the City’s immediate priority is to finalize a Joint Use Agreement for Friends Field, which will formally allocate management and maintenance responsibilities for the field.
The Mill Valley Middle School Modernization Project represents a significant investment in the future of the community’s education infrastructure. With the support of the City and active participation from the public, the project aims to create a modern, efficient, and inspiring environment for students and staff alike.
The history and significance of Friends Field are intertwined with the adjacent Community Center, which was constructed with a combination of public and private funds. It was built at a cost of $12.8 million in 1997 (equivalent to $25 million today), with $6 million ($11.7 million today) from community donations. Community members involved in the fundraising effort shared stories of hundreds of children who brought their piggy banks to contribute to this cherished community asset.