Gwangmyeong City Signs Agreement with Education Office to Open Parking Lot at Gwangmyeong North Middle School to the Public

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

On the 11th, the city signed a 'business agreement for school space opening' at the Gwangmyeong Office of Education with participation from the Gwangmyeong Office of Education, Gwangmyeong North Middle School, Gwangmyeong North Elementary School, and Gwangmyeong Elementary School.

Gwangmyeong North Middle School will open its parking lot free of charge to residents during hours of low utilization. By utilizing idle parking spaces owned by the school, it is meaningful in that insufficient parking spaces can be expanded without securing additional land or investing budgets.

The opening of this parking lot is expected to not only enhance parking convenience for residents and visitors, but also help create a safe pedestrian environment by reducing illegal parking around schools.

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

To ease the burden of facility opening on schools, the city has supported public utility charges and facility maintenance costs since 2019, and in 2023, it became the first in the nation to deploy cleaning management personnel. From 2024 onwards, the city also supports the enrollment in sports facility liability insurance to help stabilize the operation of open schools.

To date, a total of 39 schools have participated in opening their gymnasiums, and 92.9% of 42 schools with gymnasiums in the city are opening them to residents.

Gymnasiums can be used on weekday evenings without classes or weekends by advance 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 relevant school.

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