Virginia University of Lynchburg owes city schools more than $2,000 [The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.]

Oct. 30--Virginia University of Lynchburg owes Lynchburg City Schools more than $2,000 in unpaid bills for use of school division facilities, according to rental agreements between the college and LCS.

On Tuesday, division officials said such situations are unusual.

It is a "rarity for bills not to be paid to use rental facilities," said LCS spokeswoman Cindy Babb.

VUL officials, out of town for a professional conference in San Diego, were unreachable for comment Tuesday.

The college leases space at various public school facilities for its sports teams. The rentals began in 2011 when the university, which does not have gyms or athletic fields, started a number of athletic programs. Among the LCS facilities rented by VUL are McCue gymnasium at E.C. Glass High School, the turf field at Heritage High School and the upper field at Sandusky Middle School.

Rental bills with the school division have totaled nearly $8,400 since 2011, according to city school documents, with just over $2,000 of that remaining unpaid.

The News & Advance made a Freedom of Information Act request this month through the school division for correspondence and other financial records between the university and school officials regarding facility rentals and payment.

According to an email from Robin Kinnier, LCS facilities rental coordinator, to assistant superintendent Ben Copeland, the school division was expecting at least a partial payment on the remaining amount sometime after Oct. 3, when VUL's Financial Manager Howard Langhorne notified the division he was cutting a check for use of the gym at William Marvin Bass Elementary School.

The school division still expects payment for use of the Sandusky Middle field, which is the bulk of the remaining bill. In her email to Copeland, the assistant superintendent for operations and administration, Kinnier said she had reached out to numerous VUL officials, including Provost Kathy Franklin, seeking a resolution.

"I tried to leave a message for Kathy Franklin, Provost, but her box is full," Kinnier wrote. "I did speak to Howard Langhorne, Financial Manager. He said that he knew that LCS did not think that we were going to be paid but he was cutting us a check when I called. He is cutting a check for their use of Bass and knows nothing about them using SMS."

Documents provided by the school division also show a portion of an August bill for use of Sandusky Middle's School's upper field by the VUL football team was paid for Willard Bailey, the team's coach since its inception in 2011. Bailey personally paid $360 in partial payment of a $2,310 bill.

Last week, VUL President Ralph Reavis appointed Luther Palmer head coach of the football program. At that time, Bailey said he had not been notified by the school of the staffing change.

Correspondence between VUL and city school officials in September also revealed new VUL women's basketball coach Robert Flood set out to rent the Bass gymnasium for the team's basketball practice Sept. 16 through Nov. 26.

That rental was held up when VUL failed to submit the required insurance paperwork and payment.

"I still have not received the Hold Harmless Agreement, Insurance or any payment. ... As I mentioned to you again Fri., these items are required before you being [sic] using Bass Gym," wrote Kinnier in an email to Flood on Sept. 16.

A follow-up email from Kinnier on Sept. 23 shows VUL still had not submitted the required insurance paperwork or payment. On Oct. 7, VUL paid $690 of the $1,110 bill for the use of Bass Elementary. It is unclear if the proper insurance paperwork has been submitted.

Now just over $2,000 in bills remain outstanding.

Babb said on Tuesday that Lynchburg City Schools "will continue to ask for payment."

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