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Residents urge MOU, rekeying after repeated break‑ins at community gym
Summary
Community representatives told the Tucker County Schools board about repeated after‑hours break‑ins at a community gym, reported roughly $800 in damage, and urged a memorandum of understanding or long‑term agreement to protect investments; the board discussed rekeying, resetting codes and Internet‑enabled locks to make access trackable.
Residents and youth‑sports volunteers told the Tucker County Schools board that children repeatedly entered the county gym after hours, damaging equipment and leaving leaders worried about the long‑term security of donor investments.
A resident who spoke during discussion said the concession stand had been broken into and “They broke through the window, which it cost us about $800,” and described how a shared door code and propped doors let youth enter after hours. The speaker said some community volunteers have raised money for new equipment and bleachers and want assurance their investment will not be lost.
Board members and staff discussed short‑term and long‑term options. Staff noted the gym’s door code can be reset and said they would “talk to Jonathan tomorrow about rekeying it.” Board members and residents discussed reverting to a keyed system until Internet connectivity is available for a trackable coded lock; one speaker explained the facility currently lacks reliable Internet, which prevents assigning individual time‑limited codes.
Speakers raised specific cost estimates and possible fixes: a resident referenced a roughly $3,000 estimate to replace a door frame and said some equipment purchases were about $8,000; residents also discussed installing cameras and negotiating a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or an exclusive long‑term use agreement so youth programs would not lose investments if facility control changes.
The board asked staff to gather bills and cost estimates and to pursue practical, near‑term steps such as resetting codes and evaluating rekeying. No formal motion or vote on a facilities agreement was recorded during the discussion; the participants agreed to continue exploring an MOU and to reconvene on options.
The board later entered an executive session under personnel and returned with no action; discussion of gym security resumed earlier the same meeting and remains an open item for follow‑up.
