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Committee reviews baseball/softball field maintenance and booster-club fees; refers equity and handbook questions to co-curricular committee
Summary
District staff compared peer practices for field maintenance, noted booster clubs have funded large maintenance items in past years, and the committee agreed to continue discussion in co-curricular channels about booster fees, a possible handbook cap, and district maintenance commitments.
The Facility Committee discussed a parent inquiry about booster-club fees for baseball and softball field maintenance and received a summary of peer-district practices and recent invoices. District maintenance staff reported that booster clubs have funded periodic major field work over the last decade and that the district lacks a regular cycle for some larger maintenance tasks.
Nick, a district athletics/facilities staff member, said he reviewed practices across peer schools (Badger Conference and others) and found the district’s baseball/softball fields receive some items commonly done elsewhere but that higher-cost, periodic work (laser grading, regrading, infield reshaping) has typically been covered by booster-club fundraising in Waunakee. He said approximately $100,000 of such outside-contractor invoices appeared to have been paid over the last 10 years (as reported in the materials he collected). Nick told the committee that some outfield soft spots and infield wear make certain periodic vendor interventions appropriate to keep fields safe and playable.
Board members raised equity concerns: one board member said baseball booster fees appeared significantly higher than booster fees for some other sports, and that differential could affect families’ ability to participate. Committee members suggested referring the matter to the co-curricular committee for fuller discussion and asked staff to clarify the district’s typical investment cycle for field maintenance and to consider whether the district’s booster-club handbook should include a cap on fees or guidance about fundraising for field-maintenance items.
District staff said they will bring specific maintenance-cycle recommendations and cost clarifications to the co-curricular committee and that facilities staff will work on a clearer district policy for which maintenance items are covered by the district budget and which have historically been funded by boosters. No formal vote was taken on policy; committee members agreed to continue the conversation in co-curricular channels.
