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Trustees approve Sports Facilities Management to operate West Chester Township baseball complex
Summary
The West Chester Township Board of Trustees approved a contract with Sports Facilities Management LLC to operate the township’s baseball complex, citing projected economic impact, community programming and a lower management fee than estimated township overhead.
The West Chester Township Board of Trustees on Dec. 16 approved a contract with Sports Facilities Management LLC to manage and operate the township’s baseball complex, the board said at its regular meeting.
The firm’s regional vice president, Eric McCaffrey, told trustees his company oversees roughly 97 venues nationwide and estimates “30,000,000 visits a year to our venues,” pitching a model focused on community programming, tournaments and measurable hotel and concession revenue. Lisa Brown, the township administrator, introduced the proposal and said two company representatives attended to outline operations and a proposed onboarding timeline.
Why it matters: trustees said a professional operator could both increase community access and position the facility as an economic driver by attracting out‑of‑area teams and tournaments that support local hotels and businesses. During discussion trustees asked how community leagues would be prioritized and how revenues and programming would be shared; McCaffrey said the township sets goals and the company will create an operational plan to meet them and report performance monthly.
Details: the presentation described services spanning planning, staffing, marketing and event sales and emphasized local management (Scott Rogers, VP of venue management, lives nearby). McCaffrey said the company typically conducts a 30–60 day sprint to open season, then transitions to month‑to‑month operations and performance reporting. The board discussed a lower estimated management fee compared with operating the complex internally; the chair noted the fee was “far below what it would cost the township to stay up and operate the complex — $120,000 a year in overhead cost.”
Financial and next steps: trustees voted to accept the company proposal and directed staff to finalize contract details and oversight metrics; the presenters said onboarding and community‑prioritization meetings will begin in the coming weeks with a target to start operations in spring 2026. The contract includes monthly reporting and a requirement the operator account for “every dollar in, every dollar out,” the presenter said.
The board recorded the affirmative roll call and closed the item; the township will return with a finalized agreement and performance metrics for future review.
