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Commissioners review draft community center memorandum of understanding, seek advisory group
Summary
County staff presented a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) describing operations and facility responsibilities between the county and the Board of Education for the Gates County Community Center; commissioners asked staff to convene an advisory group to refine scheduling, maintenance and access issues.
County Manager Scott Sauer briefed commissioners on a draft memorandum of understanding that would clarify use, scheduling and maintenance responsibilities for the Gates County Community Center and adjoining school athletic facilities.
Sauer said title searches show much of the land on the school side of Highway 158 is titled to the Board of Commissioners, and he advised the board to avoid an MOU that focuses narrowly on "who owns what." "I strongly advise that we back away from having a memorandum of understanding that starts detailing who owns what," Sauer said, arguing instead for an operational agreement and continued cooperation with the school system.
The board discussed several operational issues, including an historical membership fee for the exercise room that some residents pay for limited early‑morning access; Sauer asked whether the fee model still made sense given the facility’s open hours. The community center director, Ruben, said the fitness room and gymnasium receive regular daily use and that program revenue totals "thousands" of dollars across programs and day passes.
Commissioners and staff raised traffic‑safety and scheduling issues, including parking lot vehicle speeds during pickup and drop‑off times, maintenance of athletic fields, restroom responsibilities and how school teams use shared spaces. The community center director said the center and the schools typically coordinate schedules to avoid conflicts.
Sauer recommended creating an advisory group including the athletic director, principal, community center staff and commissioners to refine the MOU language and operational details. Commissioners asked staff to return with recommended advisory‑board membership and draft language informed by the school system, the community center director and the county’s risk/insurance review.
No final MOU was adopted at the meeting; the item was taken as information with direction to pursue stakeholder input and a draft to return at a future meeting.
