MEXICO — The Region 9 School of Applied Technology board on Wednesday unanimously approved use of an upstairs room by the Western Valley Access Channel.
The move is expected to provide students at Region 9, as well as others from RSU 10 and SAD 44 in the future, with added resources for learning how to produce videos.
Vocational school Director Brenda Gammon recommended that the move be approved because it could benefit both the Region 9 students and the community.
WVAC board member Nick Waugh said the move into the 12- by 14-foot space on the school’s second floor from the access channel’s current location at the University Center in Mexico is expected to take place sometime in January.
Station manager Pam Bevins said the channel’s current lease ends next June, and with uncertainty surrounding whether the college will remain where it has been for several years, a new location was needed.
In exchange for free use of the Region 9 space, Waugh said the local access channel will provide the use of video and other equipment to students, as well as tutelage and expertise.
In his presentation to the Region 9 board, Waugh said housing the station equipment and office in the school could lead to a number of possibilities in the future, such as offering video production courses and other electives, community service credits for those high schools that require it for graduation, development of an adult education class in video production and, if successful, could lead to a full-fledged technology program at Region 9 in video production.
“An arrangement between WVAC 7 and Region 9 would also generate good publicity for both of us and increase our possibilities of receiving grants,” he said.
When the access channel moves its offices, Bevins said the station will not broadcast for about a week. She said notices in the local newspapers will alert viewers to the temporary halt of airing local programs.
Gammon said the move will not have an impact on the development of the Region 9 operating budget.
Specific details on an agreement will be worked out in the future.
“We’ll take it one step at a time,” Bevins said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.