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District proposes facility rental contract, stadium fees and operations plan including scoreboard staff and site managers
Summary
Administration presented a consolidated facilities usage contract and a recommended fee schedule that adds the new multipurpose stadium, scoreboard and lighting operations. The board discussed site managers, security, weekend snow removal, and whether trained students could assist with operations; no fee changes were adopted at the meeting.
Shippensburg Area School District administrators recommended adoption of a consolidated facilities rental contract and an updated fee schedule to include the district’s new multipurpose stadium, scoreboard and related services.
Assistant superintendent (presenting the policy) said Policy 707 was developed on Feb. 27, 2023, and requires annual review; administrators proposed adding a binding rental contract (to replace a simple reservation in the FMX ticketing system), clarifying liability insurance requirements, and listing service fees for three user groups: district‑sponsored users (group 1), nonprofit youth/community organizations (group 2), and commercial/out‑of‑district uses (group 3).
The draft contract would require users to provide liability insurance, be financially responsible for damage or loss during rentals, and in many cases pay a deposit. For the stadium, staff recommended charging for site manager time, scoreboard operator time and scoreboard electricity. The internal committee proposed weekday group‑2 fees for the lobby café at no charge and a $25 fee on weekends; group‑3 (for‑profit/out‑of‑district) fees for certain small spaces were suggested at higher hourly rates. Administrators said they benchmarked prices to several neighboring districts while keeping booster and school‑sponsored groups exempt from fees.
Board discussion focused on operational details: who staffs scoreboard and site management, whether students could be trained for some roles, snow‑removal responsibility for weekend events, and whether the superintendent or building administrators should have discretion to permit events canceled by weather. Administrators said a small number of staff are currently trained to operate scoreboard equipment and that the district could expand training; they also said staff would pass through any incremental district costs (for example, snow‑clearing or custodial overtime) to the renting group.
Stadium lights and punch list: Facilities staff outlined a construction punch‑list timeline for stadium lights and field work. They reported mobilization and pole foundation work the week of Sept. 15, pole assembly the week of Sept. 29, conduit and wiring the week of Oct. 6, with lights potentially operational around that time. They said the contractor will work on track mitigation and planting in a September planting season window and expects most construction punch‑list items to be completed in September, weather permitting.
Why it matters: the changes create a formal rental contract that transfers more financial and liability responsibility to outside users and establishes operational rules to protect newly built facilities funded by taxpayers. Board members expressed support for a contract and suggested adding language clarifying when the district will charge for snow removal and how exceptions are made.
Ending: Administration said it will incorporate the board’s suggestions — adding language about snow‑removal costs and clarifying discretion for weather‑affected events — and return an updated contract and fee schedule for future action.
