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Committee agrees to allow county departments limited use of vacant campus buildings for training with a formal request form
Summary
The committee approved a process to let county departments, including the sheriff’s office, request use of vacant campus buildings for training. Staff will create a county-only facility-use form and approve routine requests administratively; outside organizations will be excluded unless the committee decides otherwise.
The Campus Reconfiguration Committee set parameters for allowing county departments to use vacant campus buildings for training and other county functions, and asked staff to create a standardized facility-use request form for administrative approval.
Deputy Wallace of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department told the committee the department seeks access to a range of buildings for special response and canine trainings and that the uses “do not need water, we don't need heat; we just need the facilities to use to do these type of trainings.” Committee members said past practice had been to deny ad hoc use of mothballed buildings because of safety, staffing and liability concerns, but several members said county departments using the property for training would be beneficial while buildings are unused.
The committee directed staff to draft a facility-use request form limited to county departments and county functions; administration would review and approve routine requests and bring unusual or contentious requests back to the committee. The committee emphasized that outside organizations and nonprofits would not be allowed under the new county-only policy unless the committee later authorizes a change.
Members also discussed logistics: who handles access, whether staff must be present for openings and closings, garbage removal, and the need to control access so that users do not enter restricted mechanical or chemical-storage areas. Staff said some buildings have limited heat and no plumbing, and any department granted access must commit to cleaning and leaving the site secure.
The committee did not adopt a formal motion to change county property policy but agreed on the administrative approach: produce the county-departments-only request form, require at least advance notice for approvals, and allow departmental walkthroughs and limited claim events for surplus furnishings. Staff will work with department heads to schedule a short, structured departmental walkthrough event so departments can identify and claim items they need.
