Saint Albans Mayor Scott James and Vice Mayor Jared Page asked the Kanawha County Board of Education to donate the McKinley gymnasium and related facilities to the city to support youth programs, event space and local economic development.
Mayor Scott James said the city and community partners want to use the facility to host youth athletics, introduce an archery program, support senior activities and draw sports tourism that could benefit nearby municipalities. “We approached previous administration and we're approaching this present administration about donating the gymnasium at McKinley to the city of Saint Albans,” James said.
Vice Mayor Jared Page told the board he has already had inquiries from organizers who would use the gym as event space and described the potential for partnerships with local restaurants and tourism events. “This is going to be used … we create some partnerships with that,” Page said, adding that tournaments could attract teams from West Virginia and neighboring states.
James also asked the board to leave funds in the community that the speakers understood had been allocated for McKinley in the levy and to redirect those funds to Hayes Middle School if the facility transfer is pursued. The mayor said he did not recall the exact amount and asked the board to keep the money in the community.
Board members listened; no action or vote was taken at the meeting on the request. The board’s rules prohibit discussion or votes on items not on the published agenda, and staff said follow-up conversations could occur outside the public comment period. The speakers offered to continue collaboration and provided contact information for follow-up.