Expansion Costing High School 2 Years Of Home Games

FARMINGTON — When the expansion and renovation of Mt. Blue High School is complete it will include four new athletic fields, but for the next two years, there will be no home games.

Meanwhile, the school’s athletic department puts in long hours to find venues for fall and spring athletic events and summer camps, and the Mt. Blue All Sports Boosters are trying to find ways to offset the expected loss of revenue.

The all-volunteer boosters raise money for the athletic program through gate fees and some concessions during the fall and spring seasons.

On Tuesday, Mt. Blue Regional School District’s Board of Directors approved the club’s request for a three-year waiver on the agreement that requires the organization to pay the district a $10,000 annual fee.

“We anticipate that the high school project will affect the amount of money we make on food sales and attendance,” Boosters’ President Mike LeClair told the board. “It will impact us significantly, and we will not be able to pay the $10,000 to help fund the athletic program.”

Athletic Director Todd Demmons said after the meeting that last year the volunteers raised about $50,000. After the $10,000 fee is paid into the district’s General Fund, the rest of the revenue is used to buy uniforms, balls, safety helmets and other equipment, with students paying a matching fee.

The only sports program that will continue to have home games will be basketball, he said.

Each year, the boosters’ fee goes into the General Fund and is not used for the athletic program. One purpose of the General Fund is to help reduce the tax burden, said Superintendent Michael Cormier, who recommended the board approve the waiver.

“Over the years, the boosters have provided tremendous support for athletic opportunities for kids,” he said.

Game venues that Demmons and his staff are lining up include playing fields at Wilton’s Academy Hill School and Kineowatha Park; at Hippach Field, owned by the town of Farmington; at the University of Maine at Farmington’s Prescott Field on Front Street; Kemp Field used by the area’s youth football leagues; and even Skowhegan High School.

LeClair said gate fees will likely not be charged at other outdoor sites because they are not enclosed and admission cannot be controlled.

UMF is expected to charge the district $5,000 to use Prescott Field, and there will be a $4,000 fee to play at Kemp Field, Demmons said.

Funds budgeted for field maintenance will be used to cover all costs incurred from the displacement, and there will not be any additional impact on the budget, he said.

When the $65 million Mt. Blue High School/Foster Technology Center project is completed, it will include new baseball and softball fields, a competition field for soccer, lacrosse and field hockey, a multipurpose field and tennis courts.