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Fenton denies field donation to Heritage Christian Academy; waives 30‑day cancellation fee
Summary
Heritage Christian Academy asked for an in‑kind field donation after unsafe field conditions led to a player injury. The committee declined the donation to avoid precedent but agreed to waive the 30‑day cancellation penalty for the school's short season and directed staff to explore nonprofit rate guidelines.
Heritage Christian Academy asked the committee on April 9 for an in‑kind donation or reduced fees after poor field conditions at Fenton City Park contributed to a broken collarbone for one player.
Kelly Crooks, the school’s athletic director, said the small private school's soccer program runs at a deficit because of field rental costs and described limited usable field area during a recent rental. “For all of our athletics, other than soccer, we are able to meet our costs… For soccer, we finish with a deficit primarily due to field cost rental,” she said.
Board members sympathized but expressed concern about setting a precedent. An alderman noted the long‑standing Saint Paul tournament receives a discounted rate for multi‑day use and warned that ad‑hoc donations could prompt many similar requests. The chair said the city needs a formal guideline for nonprofit requests.
The committee voted to deny the donation request but included a staff recommendation to waive the city's 30‑day cancellation penalty for Crooks’ five‑week spring season so she could adjust rentals this year. Members asked staff to return with a proposed nonprofit or resident discount policy at a future parks agenda.
What’s next: Staff will waive the 30‑day cancellation for this season and will develop a draft policy on nonprofit and resident discounts for future committee consideration.
