Marysville is home of the Monarchs, the king of the jungle, but when the district’s new football stadium opens next school year the facility could also host the king of beers, Budweiser.
On Thursday night, Marysville’s Board of Education saw first reading of a new policy that would allow alcohol to be served at the district’s recently-named IMPACT Stadium, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in the fall. If approved at the June meeting, the policy would mark the first time the sale of alcohol would be permitted on school grounds.
Superintendent Diane Mankins said the policy pertains to community organizations or charity groups that would rent the stadium. She said the district would in no way profit from or take part in the sale of alcohol. Mankins also stressed that alcohol sales would not take place during sporting events or any other school related activity. Board member Dick Smith said the district would make a “clear delineation” between school and community events.
“We would not be the beneficiary of that,” Mankins said of the potential alcohol sale.
The superintendent said the idea behind the stadium overhaul was to create a facility that would serve as a community gathering place. She said it would be easier for organizations to plan events like a concert or Fourth of July celebration knowing it can offset the cost with alcohol sales.
Smith said the district’s policy committee has been looking into the idea of allowing alcohol sales for some time. He said the committee was charged with crafting a policy that allowed the facility to be more than just a sports facility, while still being responsible to community standards.
Mankins said area events like the Marysville’s Friday Nights Uptown and the creation of the Marysville’s Outdoor Refreshment Area show that alcohol and responsible community events can coexist, even in the presence of families.
Mankins said the responsibility for approving rental of the stadium would fall to her office, and she would also hold the duty of denying rental to any activity or group that could be deemed undesirable.
The policy mandates that any renting organization wanting to sell alcohol must hold a valid permit from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control for the event. It also stipulates that the organization must carry liability insurance of at least $1 million.
The policy also states the superintendent may require the group to retain the services of security or law enforcement officers for the duration of the rental.
Mankins said the cost of renting the stadium has not yet been set. She said a committee is currently working on setting up a fee structure.
It was noted during the meeting that stadium construction is a little more than two weeks behind schedule due to recent wet weather. Mankins said construction crews are confident they will be able to make up the time over the summer and are on target for an August opening.
In other business the board,
–Approved a bid of $244,933 from Duro-Last for a roof replacement project at Edgewood Elementary School.
–Heard an update on the Raymond Elementary School’s implementation of the PAX behavior program.
–Listened to a presentation on the adoption of new math curriculums for the various grade levels of the district.