Board rejects middle-school softball bids after they exceed grant; members weigh charging rental fees for field use

The Abington Board of School Directors on Sept. 9 rejected bids for the Abington Middle School softball field after returned bids substantially exceeded the $50,000 grant allocated to the project and discussed whether to charge rental fees for outside groups to help fund field maintenance.

Dr. Mowery said the bids received ‘‘far exceeded’’ the grant amount and that the district must reject them and explore alternatives, including petitioning to change the project scope or seeking additional grant money. "We can try to petition to change the scope of the project...which we will," he said, adding that the grant has a strict completion timeline that currently requires the project to be finished before Jan. 1 unless an extension is approved.

Board members debated the broader issue of field use and cost recovery. Mister Allen suggested considering a fee that could be directed to capital-expenditure accounts to help offset maintenance and refresh costs created by heavy outside use. Administration and facilities staff explained that current cost-basis permits typically cover personnel costs when additional staff are required but do not include utilities or capital expenditures.

Opponents cautioned that passing on rental fees could increase costs for youth sports and families. One board member noted that any community discussion of fees should be broad and include stakeholders.

The rejection of the softball bid and the conversation about fee policy leave next steps to the administration: exploring grant timeline extensions, seeking additional funds and engaging community stakeholders about any proposed fee structure.