Committee recommends MOU with Richland School District to allow school use of campus gym

The Campus Reconfiguration Committee recommended adoption of a memorandum of understanding with Richland School District to allow the district to use the campus gym and certain other identified spaces at no charge, with conditions on access, maintenance and safety.

The committee moved to send the edited MOU to the school district for review and possible mutual approval. “If this committee recommends approval of this document, we send it to the school district,” a committee member said during the discussion; the formal motion was made by Caro and seconded by Glass Brenner. The committee approved the recommendation by voice vote and directed staff to present the document to the school board for its sign-off before final execution.

The MOU as edited limits school access to specified entry points and reserves the county’s right to restrict areas for health or safety reasons. Committee members repeatedly raised concerns about the maintenance and storage areas at the back of the building, noting those spaces contain a generator room, supply and chemical storage and other equipment that the county wants kept off-limits. “You can limit access at the county’s sole discretion for reasons of health or safety,” a committee member summarized while citing the draft language.

Under the draft agreement, the school district would assume responsibility for routine cleaning, restroom upkeep for areas used by the district, snow removal for sidewalks serving their activities, field mowing for the soccer field, and other event-related housekeeping; the county would retain control of the parking lot and structural systems. The committee removed language that would have allowed the school to recover fees broadly and clarified that district-sponsored events or events booked through the district’s facility-use process would be treated differently than third-party rentals.

Committee members said the arrangement is intended to be temporary and revocable with 30 days’ notice. Several members said the county should avoid establishing a long-term precedent of providing facilities free of charge without a future discussion of flat fees or a formal rental policy if outside uses increase.

The committee instructed staff to send the recommended MOU to the Richland School District and return to the committee only if the district requests further revisions or if the parties cannot reach agreement.

Votes at a glance: The committee recorded a motion by Caro, seconded by Glass Brenner, to recommend the MOU to the full board pending school-district sign-off. The motion carried by a voice vote; committee members in attendance voiced approval.