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Parent warns Davis gym scheduling system is straining youth sports, urges transparency before city gym RFP
Summary
A parent and local youth coach told the City/DJUSD two-by-two meeting that high-use designations and opaque calendar practices are favoring some groups over others and risk collapsing shared community programs; he asked for clearer scheduling and fairness ahead of an anticipated RFP for the city gymnasium.
Graham Glass (who identified himself as a parent, coach and co-founder of Davis Ballers Basketball) told the two-by-two on May 20 that current gym scheduling practices are under "an inordinate amount of strain" and that a lack of calendar transparency and inconsistent application of "high use" designations have disadvantaged some groups.
"It appears that although some slots like the 7:00 to 9:00 slots are pretty well listed, a lot of people have sort of backdoor deals with athletic directors," Glass said. He said the inconsistent application of high-use designations has "disproportionately affected some groups" and that at least one respected youth program has left Davis as a result.
Glass also raised concerns about an anticipated request for proposals (RFP) for a city gymnasium. "I worry that... one group or two groups are going to end up having to pay some amount of fair market value rent for that, pay some amount to rehab that facility while the other groups will continue to use highly subsidized gym space for the district," he said, urging fair terms and transparent scheduling so volunteer and nonprofit sports programs are not priced out.
Meeting staff acknowledged Glass's comments during public comment and there was no immediate formal response recorded in the transcript. The two-by-two did not take formal action on the point but it recommended continued coordination between city and district staff on facility access and upcoming procurement.
Next steps: stakeholders requested clearer public calendars and said the upcoming RFP should be monitored by both city and district staff; no RFP details were provided at the meeting.
