NORTH PROVIDENCE — The group seeking to use North Providence High School for an Aug. 24 festival for local charities got permission from the School Committee last night to hold the event, but only after agreeing to a slight change of venue.

The unanimous vote to allow the North Providence Taxpayers Association to use school grounds also requires the town’s insurance carrier to review the $1 million liability insurance that the group had taken out at the School Department’s request.

The group agreed to change the location of the seven-hour-long outdoor festival from the area around the football field to the parking lot in front of the school, which will allow the school’s main entrance to be used for the stage.

Though requests for the use of the property are usually deemed routine, the request from the taxpayers’ group was far from that. Originally envisioned as a fundraiser to help defray the medical expenses of Matthew Irving, the 21-year old former honors students who is in Germany undergoing an experimental coma treatment to reduce the pain that has run through his body for five years, the taxpayers group withdrew its request last week after receiving a phone call from Matthew’s mother saying the family didn’t want her son’s name associated with the event.

On Monday, organizer Kenneth Cicerone said association members decided over the weekend that so much work had gone into pulling the event together that it would be a shame not to proceed with a fundraising event when there are so many local charities in need of money.

Last night, NPTA president Paul Burke, said the list of charities would include the North Providence chapter of ALS, the Make a Wish Foundation, Impossible Dream, and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, as well as others. The Coca Cola Co., which had agreed to provide cases of soda, had told the group that it wanted to be one of the principal sponsors.

School Committee Chairman Vito Martinelli said there was no point in discussing other concerns until the insurance matter was resolved, and Burke was advised to go home to retrieve a copy of the policy while the committee recessed.

Upon Burke’s return, committee lawyer Ben Scungio said the policy needs further review by the town’s insurance company. Committeeman Donald J. Cataldi said, provided the insurance matter was cleared up, he’d be willing to approve the request if the site were moved to the front of the school, that an emergency plan be drafted and approved by police and fire officials, and that other technical questions be worked out with the School Department’s director of non-instructional services, Armand Milazzo. Burke agreed to the stipulations.

Questioning the demand for insurance coverage, Cicerone said a review of School Department records showed that out of 218 requests for use of school property, 45 were for non-school related activities and that only 10 had been required to pay a rental fee to the department or to take out insurance.

His list included such groups as the Lions Club, Boy Scouts, dancing schools, and a number of baseball, football and basketball leagues.

School Supt. Donna Ottaviano said many of the groups Cicerone mentioned had insurance and some of those that didn’t have insurance were never approved.

Cataldi said requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. He said the association’s request was different in that it proposed having a beer garden at the site that would draw hundreds of people.

In other activity last night:

• The committee approved the hiring of 16 teachers for the coming year, including 6 who will be filling new kindergarten slots created by the implementation of a full-day kindergarten program this fall. Three of the teachers hired last night were teachers who had received layoff notices last March.

•Cataldi, the committee’s finance chairman, reported that the committee has been trying to reduce the department’s line items to bring total spending in line with the $1.6 million in cuts made last spring by the mayor and Town Council. So far, he said, about $1 million in adjustments have been made.

Committee member Stephen D. Palmieri said he could not help but note that Ottaviano’s latest budget estimate envisions spending $529,000 for implementing a full-day kindergarten program this fall, a far cry from the $1.2 million that she originally warned that it would cost, and lower even then the $700,000 that he had projected.

rdujardi@projo.com