Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facilities Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board debates turf‑field rental rates, safety and limits on discounted community use
Summary
Administrators proposed a tiered turf‑field fee schedule with reduced rates for district‑based groups and higher fees for outside users; board members discussed caps on discounted uses, safety (field heat and drainage) and maintenance implications and asked staff to return with a formal schedule next month.
Board members and staff spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing a proposed turf‑field rental policy intended to balance community access with maintenance and staffing costs.
Presenter Dan described a three‑tier fee schedule: NW student athletics would be exempt or pay reduced rates, district‑based adult/student groups would be charged a reduced rate (presenter cited $75 an hour for NW‑based groups), and outside groups would pay a higher hourly rate. He said additional charges would apply when staff must be scheduled at overtime rates and for lighting or security; his example showed a four‑hour event could total roughly $500 when overtime and facility costs were included.
Board members raised several concerns. One member proposed capping discounted uses to a small number of games (for example, two) to limit additional wear and staffing demands; another member said youth safety should guide decisions, pointing to turf heat issues and drainage concerns for some fields. Staff noted that increased outside use could accelerate maintenance and replacement schedules for the turf, which planners estimated has a life expectancy of 10–12 years under normal use.
Several board members asked staff to return next month with a formal, written fee schedule and proposed limits (including clarifications about who qualifies as a reduced‑rate group, which administrators said would be defined as groups with at least 50% district residents). The board did not adopt a new fee schedule at the meeting.
What’s next: staff will draft a formal field‑use policy and fee schedule that includes eligibility criteria, proposed caps on discounted events, and explicit overtime/staffing and security charges, and will return to the board for consideration.
