Ironton Board of Education discusses renting policies

Published 10:04 am Thursday, February 25, 2010

Renting policies for the district’s new facilities was the topic of discussion at the Ironton Board of Education meeting this week. The board met for a work session Tuesday night.

The board discussed revising the district’s current policies about renting out its facilities at the new middle school and elementary school as well as the high school that will open soon.

The board discussed the costs associated with renting out facilities like the gymnasium and cafeteria at the middle school and the auditorium at the high school, board vice-president John Wolfe said.

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“We hope to have (the policy together) by the board meeting this month,” Wolfe said.

The current policies addressed the Kingsbury and Whitwell schools, which the district no longer has, Superintendent Dean Nance said.

“The old policy was outdated,” he said.

Nance said the district has already received several inquiries about renting the auditorium in the new high school.

With seating for 600, the new auditorium will be more than double the size of the area’s current largest auditorium — the Bowman Auditorium at Ohio University Southern.

“Any time you have an activity in the auditorium if it’s school related in it’s covered under liability, but if any outside group is going to come in, we need to have the proper things in place,” Nance said.

The board also has to take into consideration heating and electric costs and care for the auditorium’s equipment.

“There is some sophisticated equipment in that auditorium and we have to develop a policy where properly trained people will be the only ones operating that equipment,” Nance said.

In an executive session with Nance, the board also discussed Nance’s evaluation, Wolfe said. The board will discuss the evaluation with Nance at a later date, Nance said.