755.16 Joint acquisition and maintenance.
755.16 Joint acquisition and maintenance.
(A) Any municipal corporation, township, township park district, county, or school district, jointly with one or more other municipal corporations, townships, township park districts, counties, or school districts or with an educational service center, in any combination, and a joint recreation district, may acquire property for, construct, operate, and maintain any parks, playgrounds, playfields, gymnasiums, public baths, swimming pools, indoor recreation centers, or community centers. Any school district or educational service center may provide by the erection of any school or educational service center building or premises, or by the enlargement of, addition to, or reconstruction or improvement of any school or educational service center building or premises, for the inclusion of any such parks, recreational facilities, and community centers to be jointly acquired, constructed, operated, and maintained. Any municipal corporation, township, township park district, county, or school district, jointly with one or more other municipal corporations, townships, township park districts, counties, or school districts or with an educational service center, in any combination, and a joint recreation district, may equip, operate, and maintain those parks, recreational facilities, and community centers and may appropriate money for them. An educational service center also may appropriate money for purposes of equipping, operating, and maintaining those parks, recreational facilities, and community centers.
Any municipal corporation, township, township park district, county, school district, or educational service center agreeing to jointly acquire, construct, operate, or maintain parks, recreational facilities, and community centers pursuant to this section may contribute lands, money, other personal property, or services to the joint venture, as may be agreed upon. Any agreement shall specify the rights of the parties in any lands or personal property contributed.
Any lands acquired by a township park district pursuant to Chapter 511. of the Revised Code and established as a public park or parks may be contributed to a joint venture authorized by this section. Fees may be charged in connection with the use of any recreational facilities and community centers that may be constructed on those lands.
(B) Any township may, jointly with a private land owner, construct, operate, equip, and maintain free public playgrounds and playfields. Any equipment provided by a township pursuant to this division shall remain township property and shall be used subject to a right of removal by the township.
(C) As used in this section and in sections 755.17 and 755.18 of the Revised Code:
(1) “Community centers” means facilities characterized by all of the following:
(a) They are acquired, constructed, operated, or maintained by political subdivisions or an educational service center pursuant to division (A) of this section.
(b) They may be used for governmental, civic, or educational operations or recreational activities.
(c) They may be used only by the entities that acquire, construct, operate, or maintain them or by any other person upon terms and conditions determined by those entities.
(2) “Educational service center” has the same meaning as in division (A) of section 3311.05 of the Revised Code.
Effective Date: 09-21-2000; 05-06-2005