Gwangmyeong City Signs Agreement with Education Office to Open Gwangmyeong North Middle School Parking Lot to Citizens Free of Charge

Gwangmyeong City (Mayor Park Seung-won) is expanding the foundation for mutual prosperity between schools and the local community by sharing school idle spaces with the community.

On the 11th, the city signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding for School Space Opening' with Gwangmyeong Education Support Office at Gwangmyeong North Middle School, Gwangmyeong North Elementary School, and Gwangmyeong Elementary School.

Gwangmyeong North Middle School will open its auxiliary parking lot free of charge to citizens during low-utilization hours. By utilizing idle parking spaces owned by the school, it is meaningful in that it expands parking capacity without acquiring additional land or investing budget separately.

The opening of the parking lot is expected to not only enhance parking convenience for residents and visitors but also help reduce illegal parking around the school and create a safe walking environment.

Additionally, Gwangmyeong North Elementary School and Gwangmyeong Elementary School will open their multi-purpose gymnasiums to citizens during idle hours that do not interfere with regular educational activities. By providing spaces where citizens can enjoy physical activities at nearby schools, the city supports leisure activities and health promotion for residents.

To reduce the burden on schools for facility opening, the city has supported public utilities and facility maintenance costs since 2019, and in 2023, it became the first in the nation to deploy cleaning management personnel. From 2024, the city also supports enrollment in sports facility liability insurance and is helping the open schools operate stably.

To date, a total of 39 schools have participated in gymnasium opening, and 92.9% of the 42 gymnasium-equipped schools in the city are now opening their gymnasiums to citizens.

Gymnasiums can be used on weekday evenings without classes or on weekends after prior reservation. The opening status of each school can be checked on the Gwangmyeong City website (gm.go.kr), and detailed information can be obtained by contacting the administrative office of the respective school.

Mayor Park Seung-won of Gwangmyeong City said, "We will actively support the utilization of school idle spaces to reduce the burden on schools and education support offices while enhancing citizen convenience," and added, "We will strengthen cooperation between schools and the local community to continuously expand space sharing that reflects diverse community needs."

천의현 대표이사 euihyun@suwonilbo.kr