Fort St. John adjusts MOU with Ma Murray School for gym usage

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — City staff have been directed to make adjustments to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Margaret “Ma” Murray to reflect the usage of the school’s gym.

In 2015, the MOU was created to supply School District 60 with $2,500,000 to upsize the school’s gym for community usage.

The MOU requires a review after the school’s first two years of operation to adjust or confirm the minimum number of hours to the community. After the initial assessment, it is then supposed to take place every five years.

Due to staff shortages at School District 60 and the city, no formal reviews have been completed, according to a report presented to council on December 11th.

“City staff will be working with SD 60 to review the MOU and bring it back to council for consideration,” said the report.

Mayor Lilia Hansen said she is glad to see the partnership and is grateful for the report to show the usage.

“The Margaret “Ma” Murray Community School annual gymnasium report demonstrates the value of partnership and resource sharing to meet community needs,” said City of Fort St. John’s CAO, Milo MacDonald.  

“This gymnasium serves the needs of both the school and its students, and the City of Fort St. John and its recreation needs.”

In the report, many sports groups outside the school district, such as karate, badminton and soccer, used the gym for the 2022 to 2023 school year.

Sports-based groups used the gym for a total of 833 hours.

On top of the sports groups, other schools and organizations have also utilized the space.

The full report can be found below, and background information can be found below: