The Penn Delco School Board last night voted to cancel a 50-year lease that allows the Aston Valley Baseball League to most of the control the field it built behind Sun Valley High School.
According to Board President Anthony "K-9" Ruggieri the lease was being canceled on the advice of the board solicitor Mike Levin in order to allow the district to have more control of the field's use.
I haven't seen the lease yet but I am told by league officials that it allows the district to cancel it with three months notice. I am also told the lease, if canceled, entitles the league to recoup costs and expenses for its building and maintaining the field. They claim those costs are in the range of $300,000 to $350,000.
If school district officials and politicians want more control of the field are they willing to pay that kind of dough to get it? If not, why not.
It can be safely said that the League officials and parents are furious about the board's decision.
Ruggieri and other board members say the league will continue to be allowed to use the field but without the lease that guarantees it, who knows.
I'll look into this some more. Maybe the district has a legitimate and sound reason to cancel the lease. But once again, the school board finds itself with a public relations problem.
For some reason, this board isn't very good at explaining its actions to the satisfaction of the public at public meetings. But then K-9 Tony will never be favorably compared to Barack Obama when it comes to explaining things. Or even spinning them.
More later.
Bravo to Gil Spencer for taking on this issue. This School Board has a long a distinguished history of embarrasing situations started by abusing its power. This is yet another attempt of PDSD flexing its muscles to let everyone know that it has absolute control of everything....even the ability to break legal contracts entered in good faith by past school boards, before the "Fun" years!!
ReplyDeleteIt always amazes me how that School Board & administration does whatever the heck they want and they feel they don't owe anyone an explanation. Taxpayers deserve a better answer than 'because we felt like it', afterall they are the ones who will be picking up the tab.
ReplyDeleteHere is another example of the inexperience of every one of the board members. And the arrogance of the board president.He has again reared his ugly head by cutting off the public spreaking time. It seems this is a habit he has aquired, when he doesn't want any one to go against board behavior or descisions. Someone needs to tell him that the public has every right to speak and in turn to receive answers.He needs to take the gum out of his mouth and the crown off of his head. He is there to serve the public not Anthony Ruggieri's fan club.
ReplyDeleteIt's Penn Delco, what else did you expect? Apparently, there's no such thing as bad press to these people. Given most (not all) of the membership, I'm surprised it took so long for another board-related conflict to happen.
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