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Parents urge Duarte Unified to restore lower baseball field and allow booster snack sales in new gym
Summary
Multiple parents and booster organizers told the board that banning food sales in the new gym is reducing fundraising for teams and urged the district to restore a removed lower baseball field to ease practice conflicts; speakers cited recent booster revenues and argued for compromise rules requiring cleanup and accountability.
Several parents and booster-club members used the district's public comment period to press the Duarte Unified board on two related issues: restoring a lower baseball field removed during construction and reinstating booster sales of food and drinks inside the new gym.
Ruby Yanos said the district should reconsider restoring the lower baseball field because Mount Olive will be located on the high-school campus and reported that the high-school program now has varsity and junior-varsity teams and needs additional practice space. "Restoring the lower baseball field would greatly benefit our student athletes by allowing each level of the program to practice effectively," Yanos said.
Multiple speakers, including Joanne Olo, Andrea Grim and Herman Roas, described how booster snack‑bar sales have funded team needs. "The ability to sell food and drinks is a win‑win situation for the students and the school," Andrea Grim said, saying the snack bar enabled the booster club to raise money for shooting shirts and a senior scholarship. Speakers provided examples of recent receipts (one night with $87, an estimate that booster fundraising produced several thousand dollars last year, and a reported $18,000 raised by a newly formed booster group over 18 months).
Speakers proposed practical controls if food sales are allowed: volunteer groups should clean up after sales, sign up for shifts, and face warnings or loss of privileges if they do not comply. Herman Roas urged a compromise and described the booster club's success raising funds for student programs.
Board members acknowledged the comments and said they would take the community's concerns into account when discussing facility rules and future agenda items. No formal action to change the rules or restore the field was taken at the meeting; the speakers requested a future staff follow-up.
