CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Area School District is having issues with groups following its facility use request procedure, said Superintendent Terry Struble on Monday night.
After Struble presented his facility use report during the buildings, finance and activities committee meeting, board member Randy Pataky asked if there had been facility uses that were not approved by the board.
Struble said yes, explaining it was becoming a concern because the board was approving tournaments, but they were somehow growing in size. He said they were in the process of trying to figure that out.
“… The cost to the district is growing, as well,” he said. “Not that we want to shut any down, but we don’t have request forms for some of them.”
Further, he said sometimes school officials are finding out about the scheduled gymnasium usage last minute, making it hard to “back pedal on them (groups).”
According to Struble, some groups have scheduled use of a space for practice but then use it for other means. He said that’s not the purpose, noting that others are completing a very detailed procedure to request use of facilities.
Pataky said it seemed to him that there was some kind of tournament every weekend, and he often doesn’t recall approving the event. He agreed with Struble that the custodial costs were becoming “monumental.”
Struble said it’s also created issues when the district is in the process of scheduling a shut down for “snow and ice.”
When asked about what action would be taken, he indicated he was still getting answers in order to resolve the issues.
“The easiest way to shut it down is to say, ‘this is how it’s going to be,’” said board President Larry Putt.