Myers Defends District Rental Policy, Criticizes Critics

Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo says he is hopeful the school district will modify its new facilities rental and utilities fees.

The district's business manager says the critics who claim the fees could kill some youth programs probably need to modify their math.

“The groups involved have misinterpreted the rates and significantly overstated what the impact would be,” Jack Myers said Thursday.

And Myers said everyone needs to realize the district incurs significant costs when it allows outside groups to use its facilities.

Last week, the athletic directors at St. Ephram and St. Charles Borromeo schools and an official of Valley Athletic Association said the new rental fees could kill their after-school boys basketball programs. Specifically, they said, the fees would cost St. Ephram about $41,000, St. Charles about $100,000 and Valley more than $40,000. The ADs of the two schools both referred to an hourly rental rate of $105.

But Myers said Thursday that the hourly rate is about $70, depending upon which gym is rented, and the critics mistakenly added the cost of custodial services, $35 an hour.

“We don't charge for custodians if they are already in the building and every night they are in there anyway,” he said. “That drops one third of their estimation out the window.”

The school board in June approved the 13-page policy, which Myers acknowledged Thursday is a bit "convoluted." The policy includes rental fees, energy and air conditioning charges, and deposits for differently classified entities, including nonprofits, that use gyms, pools, fields, auditoriums, cafeterias and rooms.

At the time, Myers said many districts don't allow such usage and the intent of the new policy is to cover district costs.

On Thursday Myers said this upcoming year the district expects to spend a total of $1.8 million for electricity, $600,000 for natural gas and $125,000 for heating oil. In addition, he said, there are long-term maintenance concerns.

“Every four to six years we have to resurface gym floors and that costs $20,000, $30,000 or $40,000,” he said. “Would the floors last a whole lot longer if we weren't using them so extensively? Damn right they would.”

Myers also pointed out that the district got $3 million less in state aid for the coming school year. The alternatives to rental fees, he said, are tax hikes and student activity fees.

The ADs reached out for help from Mayor DiGirolamo and as a result the mayor said he met for about an hour Tuesday with Myers and new Superintendent David Baugh.

“I'm concerned these are programs that these CYOs would not be able to continue,” the mayor said Thursday. “We want to make sure all of our kids have recreational activities.”

DiGirolamo said he expects the district to take a close look at the new policy.

“Their position is to look at the situation but they thought there might have been some misunderstanding,” he said.

The mayor added that he was “a little upset” the district didn't tell him about the policy before it was approved. Myers, however, said he met with township recreation director Chuck McMullin in May to let him know.

And, Myers added, a recent agreement with the township over the use of the soon-to-be-opened new gym at Bensalem High School “clearly points out that the district has the right to charge for utilities, custodians and security.”

Regardless, DiGirolamo said he believes the district is “open to adjusting” the fees.

Myers didn't close the door on that possibility. But he said he hasn't heard a word from St. Ephram AD Dan Shurdich since he was invited to discuss the issue when he brought his complaint to the school board last Wednesday. Shurdich said at that time that the Catholic schools should be able to use the district facilities for free because their students' parents pay the district's school tax.

“I don't have an application from any of them so how can I compute their costs?” Myers added. “They were invited to come in and make contact with me and I have not gotten a single e-mail from any of them.”