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Bogota board urges clearer rules, fees and enforcement for public field use
Summary
Trustees spent the bulk of the May 12 meeting debating rules for public use of school fields, proposing clearer permitting, a public calendar, higher fees and police cooperation; superintendent Damien Kennedy said he hopes a fee change could take effect July 1 after one reading.
Trustees at the Bogota Board of Education devoted the largest portion of their May 12 meeting to a wide-ranging discussion about public use of district fields, including Feagle Field and the area adjacent to Olsen Park.
Board member Miss Marquez opened the item saying, “I wanna talk about the field... I do think it is time to build some infrastructure around it,” urging the board to add “guardrails” so the fields are not a “free for all.” The conversation that followed covered permitting, signage, lighting schedules, liability and trash management.
The superintendent, Damien Kennedy, said the district already has a reservation and fee policy and that he has asked staff to compare fees with neighboring districts. “My hope is to have that effective for July 1 with just 1 reading,” Kennedy said, signaling an administrative timeline for raising fees and updating procedures.
Board members raised specific concerns: double-booking of the track and fields during school activities; outside organizations using the turf for paid events; inconsistent coordination with borough police; and inadequate trash and restroom servicing after events. One trustee noted that certain interlocal agreements set limits on permitted use and that the board must honor those terms when scheduling.
Trustees discussed making a public calendar for permitted uses, tightening insurance and indemnification language for external groups, clarifying when lights should be turned off, and raising fees (several members said Bogota’s current fees are low compared with other Bergen County towns). A combined committee of bills & grounds and policy was proposed to draft specifics and present recommendations before summer to avoid chaotic scheduling.
The board emphasized that the fields remain open for community use but want a clearer permitting and enforcement system so school activities are not displaced. The discussion concluded with direction to staff to prepare comparative fee information and proposed policy updates for a future board agenda, and to coordinate enforcement expectations with the borough police.
