Town hopes to bargain with school district

PINE PLAINS — Recreation Director Catherine Prentice appeared before the Town Board at its Thursday, Aug. 18, meeting to discuss her department and its activities. The main issue she addressed was the town’s use of the Pine Plains Central School District’s football field and basketball courts — and what it’s being charged for the privilege.The football field is used for the town’s fall programs, including flag football and Pop Warner football, which typically run from September through November. The basketball program begins in December and runs through February; Prentice is seeking to use both the high school and middle school gymnasiums for the town basketball programs.The town has an agreement with the school district to use its facilities to help supplement what the municipality lacks. For the upcoming academic year the school district will be dealing with an austerity budget, due to the fact that taxpayers voted down the school board’s proposed budget at the polls. Because of that, Prentice said she’s aware every penny will count for the school’s coffers. But, she said, the town has a budget of its own. She did concede the last time the town dealt with an austerity budget at the school district in 2008, the Board of Education set a reasonable fee for the town.“We spent $2,259, which was not an astronomical amount,” Prentice said.However, she said, this time around the district should consider charging less; she wrote a draft letter to school Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer with that request and asked the Town Board to both approve the letter and forward it to the superintendent.“I think you should send it to her and see what comes out of it,” Prentice said. “They’ve been trying to charge us for two basketball games, and we used the field after the austerity budget was passed, and nothing was done to the field by the school. We mowed it and lined it. Nothing was done by the school.”In her letter to Kaumeyer, Prentice wrote, “I am aware the school is running on an austerity budget and you have to charge us for the use of the facilities. I am asking that you consider a minimal amount of $1 per week. The programs are not run for raising funds but for the benefit of our youth and future sports programs.”Although there’s a large discrepancy between the past fee and the current offering, Prentice said she wanted to try her luck.“I’ve been told the can charge only $1, that they don’t have to charge more,” she said, adding she began working for the town at the start of 2011. “I’m thinking it’s probably wishful thinking, but I’m not really sure because this is the first time I’ve had to do this, but I’m going to see if they’ll go for it.” Town Supervisor Gregg Pulver said that in 2008 the Arlington Central School District also worked off an austerity budget; at that time the district charged community groups a flat fee of $1 for the use of its facilities. “They did not go above and beyond to find every penny,” Pulver said. “That being said they have a legal right to do it, but they also have a right to set a low fee. However, Arlington’s budget is over $100 million, while our school district’s is around $25 to $26 million. “That being said, if the school had real costs involved they should get reimbursed, but most of the stuff is just use of the building that’s already there,” he continued. “Taxpayers in the district already paid for that school, and the district is still going to have to mow the lawn and do stuff [so there’s no extra cost for us to be there].”Even so, charging that little might not be so easily done, according to Kaumeyer. That’s because the school district cannot provide public use of its buildings and grounds, except when there’s no cost in doing so.“That’s the purpose of these nominal charges,” the superintendent said, adding the Board of Education set the 2011-12 austerity rates at the same level they were at for the austerity budget in 2008-09. “The board made the decision not to change those rates, which have always been discounted.”Kaumeyer added she can’t comment beyond that as she only received Prentice’s letter on Monday, Aug. 22, and must wait to present it to the school board at its next meeting, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Aug. 24 (after press time, which made it impossible for Kaumeyer to comment on). Additionally, she said, the decision is not hers to make.“I have no authority to act on the request,” Kaumeyer said. “All I can say is that the rates [for the austerity budget] were [originally] approved by the Board of Education ... and they’re the ones who have to consider the request.”