Saturday night live: School board panel studies scheduling issue
Last year, the Franklin Arts Center auditorium was booked for 53 dates; 47 of those were for worship services for the Journey North Community Church, which also leases office space at the building from Artspace.
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The other six times the auditorium was rented for Geritol Frolics performances.
On Thursday, Journey North church leaders and dozens of Geritol Frolics supporters filled the Brainerd School Board Facilities Committee meeting to find out how the district intends to handle potential scheduling conflicts for the auditorium. Neither party was invited to speak at the meeting.
The issue arose after Pastor Mark Bjorlo inquired whether the church could lease the auditorium on Saturday nights to begin hosting an additional worship service. Ed Yunker, Geritol Frolics director, approached the school board at its Jan. 11 board meeting and said that it would be a shame if the arts community could no longer host Saturday night performances at what is supposed to be an arts center.
Ed Yunker, director of the Geritol Frolics, sat with other Geritol Frolics supporters Thursday during the Brainerd School Board Facilities Committee meeting. Board members discussed how the district rents out the Franklin auditorium to groups like the Geritol Frolics and the Journey North Community Church.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
Journey North, which has about 600 parishioners, informed the district it would be willing to move its Saturday worship services to Tornstrom Auditorium to allow for the Geritol Frolics' performances later this year and would be willing, if given enough time, to allow other groups to use the Franklin auditorium on Saturdays, too, said Steve Lund, director of business services.
When the district sold the building to Artspace in February of 2008, it retained ownership of the football field and worked out a long-term lease agreement for the Franklin auditorium and both gymnasiums.
Superintendent Steve Razidlo told board members that the revenue that the district receives from Journey North's use of the auditorium on Saturdays doesn't come close to paying for the total costs the district pays to keep those spaces open and viable at Franklin. But it does provide revenue to the district and helps minimize the district's costs.
Razidlo said the auditorium is underutilized and the district, for various reasons, hasn't worked with the arts community to try to build up interest in renting the auditorium during the last couple of years. This could be a possibility if the board felt it was important or other school groups, including the Brainerd High School theater program, could host performances there, he said.
"It's truly an asset to our community to have a 500-seat auditorium and a 900-seat auditorium (Tornstrom), but how to best use these assets are tough questions," said Razidlo.
Pastor Mark Bjorlo discussed discipline during last Sunday's worship service at Journey North Community Church at Franklin Arts Center in Brainerd. The Brainerd School District retains a long-term lease on the former school building's auditorium and gymnasiums and leases the space to the church and other groups. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
"I don't think the district should give up the right to schedule that facility and I think that's what we're talking about here," said board member Jim Hunt. "I think the district should control that. ... I'm personally not comfortable with that. I feel a door needs to open so whoever wants to come in can also use that space. That can only be done if it's Todd Lyscio and Community Education controlling the scheduling. To say we're going to turn it all over to the church, I'm very uncomfortable with that."
"If we're going to be in the business of being landlords, and I don't think we should be, I think the more we can lease this space out, the better," said board member Tom Haglin.
Board member Chris Robinson said that the district has an opportunity to increase its revenues by leasing the auditorium to the church and "that's a good thing."
Committee members directed school administrators to develop a policy clarifying the guidelines for auditorium use and to bring that back to the board.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.