Pecatonica board approves free athletic passes for residents 60 and older

The Pecatonica Area School District board voted to offer free athletic passes to individuals age 60 and older, a move administrators said formalizes a practice supported by the athletic conference. Board members discussed how the conference (WIAA) issues a limited number of complimentary passes and how the district will track and advertise the benefit.

Director (speaker 4) described the logistics of conference and administrative passes and noted senior passes are commonly used in single digits each year. "If you need a pass, we can say, 'hey, is that how we get it?'" the director said, explaining the district could laminate and name passes to help track usage. The board discussed possible new pricing tiers for family and individual passes and the impact on gate receipts, which administrators said are reported as general income to the district.

The action was presented as a formal vote to show community support and to have a record if the conference changes rules in the future. The board approved the item by voice vote after discussion of outreach, revenue coding and implementation details.