Haines Borough interim manager Brad Ryan and highway residents are endorsing an agreement for shared management of the former Mosquito Lake School.
It goes to the borough assembly for approval at its meeting Tuesday.
The memorandum of understanding is between the borough and the nonprofit Friends of Mosquito Lake School and Community Center. It’s the result of 18 months of talks between residents and borough officials including Ryan, former economic development director Bill Mandeville, and former manager David Sosa.
Under the agreement, the borough would retain ownership of the building and pay utility costs while the nonprofit would be responsible for cleaning and light maintenance, landscaping, collecting rents and garbage, and overseeing events.
The agreement stipulates that the building would be operated as a public school when feasible but other uses would include as an emergency shelter and as a site for recreation, community celebrations, private functions and public meetings.
Ryan said the deal works for the borough because it promises to reduce costs of borough maintenance ($35,000 last year) and should protect the building and increase its value. “Any unused building is dangerous, in my opinion, just in terms of potential vandalism and liability.”
Also, the agreement is renewed quarterly, allowing either the borough or the nonprofit to opt out at their convenience.
Currently, the borough is paying former maintenance man Jim Stanford to look after the building, Ryan said. Also, the potential for rents could help the borough pay for heat and other expenses, he said.
“Hopefully, having the building available will help the Friends group get a program going and the rents could help underwrite the cost of maintaining the building,” Ryan said. The borough also is looking into whether the structure qualifies for discounted electric power under the state’s Power Cost Equalization program.
Under the agreement, the building would rent at $50 for uses two hours or less and $100 for uses longer than two hours.
The group would check on the building during extreme cold weather and develop a detailed facility use plan for borough approval.
While some borough leaders support selling the building, it likely wouldn’t sell soon even if it were to be put up for sale immediately, Ryan said. “It takes a while to sell any building in Haines and this is a large building… It’s a win for us, if we put it up for sale or not.”
Mosquito Lake Road resident Edie Granger attended exercise classes at the school when it was open and her oldest child attended classes there. Two daughters now attend Klukwan School.
Granger said she supports the agreement, although she doesn’t know why the borough couldn’t operate it as the Friends group is proposing. “I want to see the building used. It’s a shame there’s nobody ever there. I’m glad that it’s going to be used by somebody,” Granger said.
Granger said the importance of a community center can be lost to residents who live in town. “I only get to town one day a week and when I do it’s filled with shopping and I’m done. It would be nice to be able to get together with community members without making a 30-mile drive.”
Granger wasn’t optimistic about re-opening the building as a school. “It’s hard because it’s not the only school in the area and a lot of kids go to town school instead of saying they want to go up here. It could happen, but it’s a challenge for the (school) district. They’ve got so much energy poured into the town school and this feels far away for them but when you’re up here, town seems like far away.”