Pennsylvania school district proposes $20M in upgrades to athletic facilities

A Pennsylvania school district has brought forth a proposal of approximately $20 million in upgrades to its athletic facilities.

The West York Area School District will hold a public meeting for comment. The upgrades in the proposal include a new track for the high school, concession stands, restrooms, retrofitting the facilities to be handicap accessible, and replacing the playing fields with synthetic field turf.

A recent story from Fox43.com detailed the proposal to upgrade the West York athletic facilities. Below is an excerpt from the Fox43.com story.

“Our experience should be better,” said Lynn Kohler, school board president of WYASD. “We’re not looking to be the best around, but we’re at least trying to keep up to date with what other schools are doing that are similar size to what we are.”

But Kohler says the upgrades would come with a tax increase. It would be the first tax increase for the district in six years.

Some residents claim they were promised an increase wouldn’t happen.

“The numbers keep changing, what is it?” said Randy Drais, a long-time resident of West Manchester Township. “You can’t say you’re not going to vote for a tax increase and say [taxes] won’t go up, but then they do go up. Which is it? We want some straight answers.”

Other critics of the proposal say they have safety and environmental concerns about artificial turf.

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“Before we follow the pack, spend all this money, put all this stuff in, I think we need to slow down,” said Jennifer Willis, a resident of West Manchester Township. “Do all our research, take a look at all this, and find out if it’s really what’s best for our students for the community, and for the future.”

Some residents say that athletic participation in the district has decreased and argued that new athletic facilities are unnecessary and a waste.