Board debates $11,009 turf repairs and possible fees for outside field users after heavy use

The Gateway School District board discussed a proposal from Shalt Turf to replace batter's-box and pitching-area turf at the high school for $11,009.37 and debated options to limit taxpayer exposure to repair costs after heavy outside use.

John (staff) told the board the cost was driven in part by the need to order new turf: “The reason for the high cost of this bill right now is because of the, we have to actually buy turf. They said that they left turf here. We're not able to find it anywhere.” He added the amount covers baseball and softball areas.

Board members and staff discussed that outside groups — identified in the meeting as AC Baseball and others — accounted for a large share of games on district fields. Staff said one organization played roughly 213 games across baseball and softball seasons, and that, for field-only games over two years, the district had taken in about $48,000; another figure mentioned for broader outside-entity revenue was about $80,000. Administrators proposed options including requiring deposits, charging outside users a percentage of repair costs based on share of games played, requiring post-game preventive maintenance, and hiring an inspector from the turf manufacturer to conduct monthly checks.

Don Hall and other staff said they had discussed passing some repair costs to outside entities and adding site managers or deposit requirements. “We think we're going to slow it down some. We also think we're gonna pass the cost potentially on,” Don Hall said. Board members asked whether warranty coverage is affected by overuse and whether deposits could be feasible given unpredictable game counts; staff noted some organizations post schedules publicly and could estimate usage.

Why it matters: repeated heavy use by external users can accelerate wear on synthetic turf and drive maintenance and replacement costs; the board is considering policy changes to align costs with users who create the wear.

Details and sums: the agenda item listed a Shalt Turf proposal for $11,009.37 to replace batter's-box and pitching areas. Staff referenced prior higher initial estimates and indicated negotiation reduced the current bill figure. Staff also said some repair pieces (a pitcher's mound component) were estimated at about $500 and thought to be covered by heavy users. No formal vote on field fees or deposits was recorded; board members said they plan to revise Policy 707 (field use/fees) and bring policy updates through the committee and two-month board approval process.

Next steps: staff will continue to negotiate with vendors, explore deposit and cost‑sharing mechanisms for outside users, consider monthly inspections by the turf vendor, and advance recommended policy changes (Policy 707) for board review.