Board approves $206,678 paving contract; district lowers youth group turf rental fee

The Wooster City Schools Board of Education approved a $206,678 contract with MCB Paving LLC for district paving work, including resurfacing the Alice Noble Ice Rink parking lot, and discussed a recent revision to the district—s facility rental policy that halves turf fees for local youth groups.

The paving contract was a public bid (required because the amount exceeded $75,000). The board voted to award the contract and board members indicated the work is scheduled for dates intended to avoid disruption to school events and to be paid from permanent improvement funds. Board member roll call recorded in the meeting was unanimous in favor.

District administrators said the parking lot and other areas are overdue for work and noted prior sewer and infrastructure updates had to finish before paving. "That parking lot really is due," a board member said.

Separately, administrators described a small but targeted change to the district premises rental policy related to new turf fields at baseball, softball and football facilities. The district reduced the per‑hour turf fee for Wooster youth group programs to about half the standard rate while keeping other rental fees unchanged. The board emphasized the continued requirement that outside groups pay custodial costs if events occur after hours and no custodian is already on duty; the district will allow groups that share a rental date to split custodial costs.

Why it matters: The paving contract addresses deferred maintenance of district facilities, and the turf fee reduction aims to support local youth organizations' access to new fields while offsetting ongoing maintenance costs.

Next steps: Facilities staff will schedule the paving work to avoid school disruptions; rental coordinator Alex Casari will continue to process rental requests and provide estimates that include custodial and insurance requirements.