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Facilities staff propose 20% increase to school rental fees; field lining and custodial charges clarified
Summary
Facilities staff recommended a 20% across‑the‑board increase to school rental rates for 2026, plus formal charges for field lining and higher custodial billing to reflect contract and utility cost increases.
The district's facilities director, Jeff Goodwin, presented a market analysis to the School Committee on May 27 and proposed a 20% across‑the‑board increase to school facility rental fees for 2026.
Goodwin and staff said comparing policies across neighboring towns showed Westford's rental rates were modest. To avoid sticker shock and to allow a fuller policy review, they recommended a uniform 20% increase rather than large, room‑by‑room changes. The presentation also formalized several line items: a $375 charge per grass‑field lining (reflecting paint and labor costs) for Abbott Field and a $5/hour increase in custodial overtime/rental custodial billing (to align with recently negotiated custodial contracts).
Why it matters: Rental revenue is deposited to a facilities revolving account that the district uses to offset operating costs for maintenance and utilities. Committee members and staff noted that utilities and maintenance costs have risen sharply (presentation cited town electricity and natural‑gas contract increases), and modest rental increases help offset those pressures. The committee asked staff to return with a more comprehensive facilities rental policy and noted that other rental lines (turf/stadium rentals) are administered by athletics staff and may be reviewed separately.
Other items discussed: Staff said some towns classify rentals as town/nonprofit/other rather than labeling groups 'for profit'; the proposed policy would adopt an 'all‑others' category to remove ambiguity. Goodwin said snow‑removal and other special event custodial work would be billed separately if special attention is required. The committee discussed outreach and marketing to increase rentals and asked for a broader policy review in the coming year.
Next step: Facilities staff will return with a revised fee schedule and recommended policy language; some related rentals (stadium/turf) are handled separately by athletics and may be addressed in a broader facilities review.
