The Warren County School District Board of Education is engaging with the Warren County Commissioners on potential reuse of the former Youngsville High School building.

Yes votes were cast Monday by school board members Savanna Cochran, Kevin Lindvay, Paul Mangione, Mary Passinger, John Wortman and Stephanie Snell. No votes were cast by Daniel Sullivan and Tammi Holden. Cody Brown abstained. The county commissioners will discuss use of the building at its Nov. 17 work session. The agreement, according to a news release from the commissioners, allows the commissioners to opt out after the first year. If the agreement works out, it would be for 25 years.

The county would be able to have discretion to determine which programs would be operated at the school with the only condition being the county can’t operate a school or similar education program for school-age children. The school district will pay utilities and trash removal for the first year of the lease, except for phone and internet. After the first year, the county is responsible for maintenance costs, repair costs and cleaning costs.

While the county will be responsible for those costs after the first year as well as all costs associated with improvements and alterations to the building.

The district is leasing the building for $1.

School district officials are seeking approval to subdivide the parcel, according to the lease agreement. The county would be leasing Lot 2, which includes the building and associated land. If the subdivision is denied, then the county will lease the entire parcel.

Part of the agreement is for the county to grant a non-exclusive license for the use of the building’s locker rooms and related areas used for athletic or extracurricular activities.

“We want to be part of the solution,” the commissioners said in their release Monday night. “We’ve watched other former school buildings fall into disrepair and languish for many years. We believe that outcome may be avoided here.”

A preliminary injunction attempting to stop the potential sale of the building was denied last week, with a hearing scheduled for Nov. 12. The commissioners say they will need time to explore potential county services and organizations that could use the space, while acknowledging the uncertainty among Youngsville residents who have been trying to stop a potential sale.

“We’ve had informal conversations with organizations throughout the county that have expressed interest in utilizing the space at YHS and we’re hopeful that those conversations – and our planning efforts in the next 12 months – will yield a dynamic use of the space,” the commissioners said. “We recognize the important place that this facility has occupied in the life of the Youngsville community and want to ensure that the building continues to be a resource to the community for years to come.”