By Mary Spicer
CNHI
LINESVILLE — Senior citizens may no longer get a free ride when it comes to admission to Conneaut School District athletic events, but that was about the only concrete suggestion that came out of a special Tuesday-night Conneaut School Board work session focusing on the district’s athletic program. Even that isn’t a done deal; the board is expected to take a look at the possibility of instituting a $1 gate fee for seniors at some future date.
There was a brief discussion of revenue-generating alternatives, including instituting a pay-to-play program. “That’s a possibility,” board member David Schaef said. “It’s not something to do now — but maybe in the next couple of years.”
The discussion was one of an ongoing series of meetings to allow school board members to discuss specific issues in greater depth than is practical at their regular meetings.
During Tuesday’s meeting, board members were reminded that adults pay $3 for admission to a game — for all sports that charge admission — at Conneaut Lake, Conneaut Valley and Linesville high schools. Students pay $2 and seniors get a free pass.
According to John Acklin, the district’s athletic director, the age at which individuals qualify for free admission isn’t firmly established, but the magic number is somewhere between 55 and 65 years of age. “A lot of people get in free,” Acklin told the board. “It’s nice for them — but it doesn’t create revenues for us.”
Board member Carol Bocan, who represents the Conneaut Valley attendance area, quickly noted that she doesn’t believe that seniors who attend athletic events don’t want to contribute anything.
Another option for upping gate fees that may be considered at some point in the future — charging admission for athletic events that are currently free — was suggested by board member Schaef.
“We get huge attendance at junior high games,” Acklin said, adding that school districts that charge admission at the junior high level charge less than they do for their high school games.
Throughout the district, gate receipts are deposited in the athletic fund, which is used to pay game officials. While some sports are “profitable,” others operate at a loss when it comes to gate receipts versus officiating expenses. Gate receipts from all three schools in 2009-10 exceeded expenses by slightly over $17,000.
The district’s annual sports budget totals approximately $575,000, or the revenue generated by approximately 2 mills in school property taxes. That means that the owner of a residence with the district’s median assessed value of $22,950 is paying approximately $46 per year to support the district’s athletic program.
Mary Spicer can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at mspicer@meadvilletribune.com.
