• Mill Valley Middle School Modernization Project

    Overview

    The Mill Valley Middle School Modernization Project proposes to demolish the existing 1960s era buildings at the preferred site of the existing school campus and replace them with a modern, two-story classroom building. Before construction begins, the Mill Valley School District (MVSD) will conduct a site investigation, called a Preliminary Endangerment Assessment or PEA, to evaluate historical environmental issues at the campus, and complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

     

    The Draft EIR and PEA will be available for public review and comment in July and August 2025.

     

    We know summer is a busy time for our school families.  We will be posting both documents online so you can access them easily and remotely.  The public hearing will also include a remote option.

     

    The District encourages community involvement to ensure all voices are heard and concerns addressed.

    Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)

    The MVSD Board of Trustees are responsible for all decisions on the middle school modernization project. Under CEQA, the project will be evaluated in a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) which will include analysis of its potential to cause significant impacts to the environment, including impacts on resources like air quality, water resources, traffic and circulation, and human health and safety. The DEIR also analyzes several other project scenarios, including a “no project” alternative, and evaluates other locations for the permanent and interim campuses, including alternatives proposed by the community.

     

    A critical step in the environmental review process is making the DEIR available for public review and comment. The public comment period provides an opportunity for the public and agencies to review the DEIR and provide comments on the adequacy of the environmental analysis, impacts, and proposed mitigation measures. 

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    The MVSD Board of Trustees will consider and respond to all comments received during the public comment period in the Final EIR (FEIR). The FEIR will be a significant part of the record used to inform any project approval decisions on the locations for interim and permanent campus facilities.

    Addressing Historical Environmental Issues Responsibly

    The Mill Valley Middle School property is going through a rigorous environmental review process under the oversight of the California Dept. of Toxic Substances Control, Brownfields Restoration and School Evaluation Branch (DTSC).   

     

    This branch of DTSC was founded to ensure that school properties that were previously contaminated – in this case from a municipal landfill that operated on the property from the 1900s to the 1950s – have been cleaned up or mitigated to a level that protects the students and staff who will occupy the new school. 

     

    Through the environmental review process, DTSC ensures protection of children, staff and the environment from the potential effects of exposure to hazardous materials. As the only comprehensive school environmental evaluation program in the United States, the DTSC Brownfields Restoration and School Evaluation Branch continues to set the national standard.

     

    Other schools that have gone through this process include most schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District and the San Francisco Unified School District, as well as several schools within the San Diego Unified School District.

    Environmental Review Process

    The middle school is located on the site of a former municipal landfill where waste was buried or burned from the 1900s until it closed in the 1950s.  Before the school was built in 1969, records indicate a cap of 2 to 3 feet of sandy clay was installed to prevent contact with underlying waste. Marin County Environmental Health Services (MCEHS) conducts quarterly inspections of the former landfill, which includes the redeveloped Community Center property, the middle school, and the Sewerage Agency to the south, to make sure that conditions remain protective of public health and the environment.

     

    To make sure historical environmental issues are fully evaluated and addressed, MVSD is conducting a Preliminary Endangerment Assessment, or PEA, under the oversight of DTSC.

    Environmental work will be conducted in two phases:

     

    Phase 1 – Site Investigation (current phase): Conduct a site investigation, or PEA, to determine if the landfill waste left underneath the cap presents a potential risk to human health and the environment. This involves reviewing the site history, sampling soil, soil vapor (air in between soil particles) and groundwater, and evaluating potential ways that people and animals could be exposed to contamination. This information is used to determine the need for further investigation or mitigation actions. The PEA must be approved by DTSC before a response plan can be developed.

     

    Phase 2 – Response Plan:  Prepare a response plan with specific methods to prevent, reduce, or control harmful environmental impacts.  Such methods may include state-of-the-art engineering controls. 

     

    Upon approval of the PEA, a response plan will be prepared that outlines activities to address environmental conditions to support safe property redevelopment and reuse.  The response plan will be available for public review and comment.

    PEA Preliminary Findings

    The PEA Report indicates that the current Mill Valley Middle School campus is safe for students. Preliminary test results from soil, soil vapor, and water samples show a minimal health risk from long-term exposure to a potential contaminant.

     

    One soil vapor sample, taken near the superintendent’s office, suggests a slightly increased hypothetical risk for staff. The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) considers a one-in-a-million increase to be a potential health concern. The projected risk for staff is two in a million—still considered minimal—and is based on a 25-year exposure scenario (8 hours/day, 250 days/year).  For students, current campus conditions do not pose a health risk, based on an exposure of 6 hours/day, 180 days/year, for 3 years.

     

    The report notes mitigation measures will be needed to ensure long-term public health and environmental safety if a new school is built on the current middle school campus. These include enhancing the existing cap and installing vapor mitigation systems beneath new buildings, as was done at the Mill Valley Community Center. These systems prevent contaminated vapors from entering indoor spaces and protect air quality.

    Public Input Process for DEIR and PEA and Schedule

    The District encourages community involvement to ensure all voices are heard and concerns addressed.

     

    We anticipate beginning the 45-day public comment period for both the DEIR and PEA in July and August 2025, with a public hearing held in mid-August. 

     

    Both documents will be available online so they can be accessed remotely. The public hearing will be held in-person and will include an option to participate electronically.

    Anticipated Schedule

    2025

    1st draft of PEA submitted to DTSC and MCEHS for agency review

    April

    DTSC and MCEHS feedback on PEA

    May

    2nd draft of PEA to DTSC and MCEHS; release PEA for public review

    Late June

    45-day public comment period on PEA and DEIR

    July - August

    Public hearing on the Second Draft PEA and DEIR

    August

    Finalize PEA

    August - September

    Prepare Response Plan

    September - October

    Prepare Final EIR

    August – November

    Public comment period on Response Plan

    November

    Board Meeting to consider certification of the EIR

    December

    2026

    DTSC and MCEHS approval of Response Plan

    January

    Develop design drawings

    January – March

    Set up interim campus

    June - July

    Begin construction at middle school

    July

     

  • Frequently Asked Questions

    The following are responses to frequently asked questions on the modernization project. If you have a question that you do not see listed below, please contact Tracy Craig at 510-334-4866.

    1. How was the landfill closed and what is in the waste material?

    The middle school is located on the site of a former municipal landfill where waste was buried or burned from the 1900s until it closed in the 1950s.  Prior to the school being built in 1969, records indicate a cap of 2 to 3 feet of sandy clay was installed across the entire site to prevent contact with the underlying waste. Environmental investigations indicate that the waste material contains metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and petroleum hydrocarbons.

    1. Is the current middle school campus safe?

    The PEA Report findings indicate the current school campus is safe for students. However, there may be a slight increase in hypothetical cancer risk for staff based on one soil vapor sample (out of 7 collected) and an assumed exposure duration of 25 years. The analysis to determine potential health risks and outcomes is extremely conservative (health protective) and risk assessors and scientists are required to overestimate risk and err on the side of safety.

    Additionally, Marin County Environmental Health Services (MCEH) conducts quarterly inspections of the former landfill, which includes the redeveloped Community Center property, the middle school, and the Sewerage Agency to the south. To date, MCEH’s inspections have found that conditions remain protective of public health and the environment.

    1. Can MVSD select a different site for the future middle school?

    Yes, as part of the DEIR, MVSD is evaluating several on-campus and off-campus site alternatives for both permanent and interim facilities. MVSD will then decide if it will move forward with the proposed project or an alternative. 

    1. Why can’t students be relocated to another school or property during construction?

    As part of the DEIR, MVSD is evaluating if it is feasible to relocate students to an off-campus location during construction.

    1. How can you expect our children to learn effectively on an active construction site?

    School construction is a common experience in California and isn’t new to Marin County. The District constructed the new Edna Macguire Elementary School campus – a project that was successfully undertaken while children were located at an on-site interim campus.  If the school is built on the current middle school property, the gymnasium will be between the portable classrooms and active construction to provide a significant safety buffer from potential impacts. MVSD’s contractor, Flint, specializes in building schools safely on active, urban, dense campuses and will use best management practices to further reduce the risk of exposure and disruption.

    1. Will construction on the campus expose students and staff to underlying waste and contamination? 

    MVSD’s mission is to provide a safe learning environment. This includes making sure students and staff are not exposed to environmental hazards during construction.  DTSC will oversee the scope of any cleanup plan to ensure that it will be protective.  Additionally, MVSD’s general contractor, Flint, will implement proven best management practices to control dust and to prevent exposure to underlying soils. This will include air monitoring during all soil-disturbing work and sharing the results with the community.

    1. Will air be monitored during construction?

    Yes, air monitoring will be required by DTSC and MCEH during any soil-disturbing work. Monitors will be placed at key locations to ensure that dust is not rising to levels that would cause health concerns.  Monitoring programs will use an action level that is protective of the health of the most vulnerable population, including young children, immunocompromised people, and seniors.   

    1. What will you do to address the smells from the nearby sewage treatment plant?

    Should the proposed project be sited at the existing Sycamore Avenue campus, the new school will include an appropriately sized HVAC system that will minimize odors from the sewage treatment plant in the classroom.

    1. How does MVSD plan to protect the middle school against sea level rise or extreme weather?

    Sea level rise and extreme weather will be evaluated in the PEA and EIR for the campus modernization project. Potential impacts would likely be mitigated by raising the site grade and potentially installing other mitigation measures to divert water during heavy rain and flooding events. All future construction will account for sea level rise.

    1. How will the middle school environmental issues be addressed? Will the campus conditions be protective of children?

    To make sure historical environmental issues are fully evaluated and addressed, MVSD is conducting an environmental site inspection, referred to as a Preliminary Endangerment Assessment, or PEA, under the oversight of the California EPA, Dept. of Toxic Substances Control’s Brownfield Restoration and School Evaluation branch. This branch ensures that school sites are free of contamination or, if the properties were previously contaminated, that they have been cleaned up or mitigated to a level that protects the students and staff who will occupy the new school.  Other schools that have gone through this process include the bulk of schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District and the San Francisco Unified School District, as well as several schools within the San Diego Unified School District.

    1. Are alternatives being studied in the DEIR?

    As part of the Draft EIR, the District is evaluating several project alternatives as follows:

      • Not moving forward with the project (this option must be evaluated under CEQA guidelines)
      • Using the Edna Macquire Elementary School site as a permanent site for Mill Valley Middle School
      • Using the eastern portion of the Edna Macquire Elementary School site as a permanent site for Mill Valley Middle School
      • Using the Edna Macquire Elementary School site as an interim site for Mill Valley Middle School while constructing the permanent school campus at the existing 425 Sycamore site
      • Using the Edna Macquire Elementary School site and other MVSD buildings as an interim site for Mill Valley Middle School while constructing the permanent school campus at the existing 425 Sycamore site
      • Completing a rehabilitation of the existing 425 Sycamore campus, including a full seismic upgrade
      • Completing a rehabilitation of the existing 425 Sycamore campus, including voluntary upgrades
      • Using Tam Valley, Strawberry Point, Old Mill, and Park Elementary Schools as sites for the middle school
      • Using Friends Field as the site for an interim or permanent campus for the middle school
      • Using Seminary as an interim site for the middle school or MVSD office
      • Utilizing sites not owned by MVSD as an interim middle school campus.
    1. If construction does not start by 2026, what happens to the bond monies?

    The Local Education Agency needs to show that the funds are being spent within a 3-year timeframe from the date of the funds being released. If the funds have not been used in this timeframe, MVSD can contact the bonding agency for an extension.  

    1. What consultants are working for MVSD on this project?

    MVSD has retained qualified experts to ensure we provide the best possible new campus as part of this modernization project. Consultants include:

      • AECOM: Oversees the project schedule and implementation of all aspects of the middle school modernization project, including construction, on behalf of the District.
      • Ninyo & Moore: Develops the PEA and any cleanup plans that may be needed and oversees the implementation of measures to prevent, reduce or control any harmful environmental impacts.
      • Grassetti Environmental Consulting: Manages development of the EIR for the middle school.
      • Lionakis: Develops new middle school campus architectural and structural engineering plans.
      • Flint: Completes construction work. 
      • Craig Communications: Assists MVSD with communications and community engagement associated with the PEA process.