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Commissioners deny York College signage request, approve small sports-authority grant
Summary
The board denied a $150,000 rebranding/signage request from York College (recommended half by the Visitors Bureau) after debate over appropriate use of improvement funds, and approved a $6,130.56 grant for restroom upgrades at the York County Sports Authority to support tournament readiness.
York County commissioners on May 3 voted to deny a request from York College (rebranding to York University) for improvement funds to pay for campus signage and a potential scrolling sign, and separately approved a smaller grant to the York County Sports Authority for restroom upgrades.
Jared Stark, representing York College in the room, described a multi-phase rebrand and asked the county for $150,000 toward signage and visitor wayfinding. The York County Visitors Bureau recommended an initial $50,000 payment. Commissioners discussed whether improvement funds — supported by lodging/tourism revenues — should be used for college branding versus brick-and-mortar tourism infrastructure. Several commissioners said they were reluctant to use improvement funds for signage; one moved to deny the grant request, and the motion carried on roll call.
Separately, Brian Tonogis requested $6,130.56 from improvement funds to replace leaking restroom fixtures and improve accommodations at the county sports complex; the Visitors Bureau supported the request as tournament-ready improvements that generate lodging tax revenue. The board approved the Sports Authority request by roll call.
The decisions illustrate the board’s approach to improvement-fund allocations: they favored a small, facility-improvement request tied to tourism economic activity and declined a larger branding request that commissioners viewed as outside the fund’s primary purpose.
