The Central Bucks School District is reconsidering its facility use plan, after several veterans called foul when they got a $7,000-bill recently for use of a district-leased, but Doylestown Borough-owned, baseball field.
The American Legion Post 210 fee has been waived, said Karen Smith, president of the school board, following an operations committee meeting where the district’s overall facility use plan was revisited.
Assuming the full board approves the changes, as expected, at its May 14 meeting, the plan will divide use of district facilities into two categories. One will require a use fee and one will not.
Nonprofit community groups, first responders, military and veterans organizations “whose activities directly serve school age children” will have free use of district’s facilities. At least 75 percent of the organization’s participants must live in the Central Bucks district, according to the policy’s first category.
In the second category, Central Bucks groups “focused on educational, recreational, religious, cultural or arts-related” activities for adults or school-age children, or a for-profit group can request use of a school facility. They will pay a fee based on what facility they would like to use. They do not have to meet the 75 percent residency requirement. No political uses are permitted.
Central Bucks fees, according to the proposed plan, have been adjusted to reflect neighboring districts and cover the district’s expenses for staff for outside groups.
“It was not an appropriate situation for (the field) to be free to one and not another,” said Smith. “In order to resolve that issue we’ll open it to all who meet the standards.”
Steve Ruane, the American Legion post’s baseball team manager said Monday that he supports the new plan.
“It seems like a good solution to us,” he said. “It’s logical and reasonable.”
And, he added, “it gives the community more opportunities” for use of the district’s facilities.
Some community members had complained that use of the track and tennis courts at the War Memorial Field complex had been restricted. Smith said they will soon be open every day from 6 a.m. to dusk unless students are using the facilities or they are being rented.
Visitors can expect to see new signage, gates and timed locks, Smith said, to deter “people who have been jumping gates and cutting off locks.” A QR code is being created so the public can see the schedule for use of the facilities.
“It’s a compromise that protects the district and allows the community to use it as much as possible,” the school board president said.
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