Gibson Dunn Represents School Foundation Awarded State’s $1 Million Urban Greening Grant To Transform Public School Campus

In June 2014, the Natural Resources Agency of the State of California awarded Benjamin Franklin Elementary Foundation (“BFEF”) a grant of $1 million to create, enhance and expand community green spaces at Franklin Magnet School in Glendale, California. The Franklin school, located on 3.9 acres maintained by the Glendale Unified School District (“GUSD”), presented asphalt on 89% of the campus and 100% of the playground with no shade. The grant would reimburse BFEF for implementing a diverse and sustainable landscape featuring habitat enhancements, topographical accents, and play areas where a set of berms and depressions carve up the asphalt yard.

With grant in hand, BFEF turned to Gibson Dunn to structure the first public-private partnership of its kind to implement an urban greening project on a public school campus to remedy the elementary campus’s heat island effects, water loss and pollution issues. Ground broke the summer of 2017, against incredible odds. Over 43 California native trees and over 600 California native drought-tolerant plants that are water wise, easy to maintain, and support the local ecosystem, have been planted on the Franklin campus to give students and the school community access to healthy green spaces during the school day.

On November 8, 2017, Franklin Elementary students, families, and community leaders gathered to celebrate the completion of their Urban Greening project. State Senator Anthony Portantino, Glendale Mayor Vartan Gharpetian and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency Julie Alvis attended the ribbon cutting ceremony with Franklin administrators and members of the BFEF. The grant project was substantially completed in March 2018.

Associate Daniel Denny represented BFEF, with assistance from partner Mark Pecheck and associate Jennifer Cohen.