EASTON, Pa. — A plan to open up Cottingham Stadium for public use has been shot down by the Easton Area School District’s board of education, though the idea to expand community access to the facility isn’t dead yet.
Tuesday’s proposal to the board provided a cleaned-up version of a proposal to allow residents to utilize the stadium for walking on Sundays on a trial basis, and even though the measure received majority support, it fell just a vote shy of the district’s metric for adoption.
And while the suggestion still has legs, it will almost certainly require some financial fine-tuning to push it across the finish line.
Assistant Superintendent for District Operations & Services Dr. Josh Ziatyk set the stage for the vote with a quick summary of the decision-making process for the proposal, in addition to administrative recommendations on the matter, during the July 18, 2024 board meeting.
A trial run... or walk
For a trial period, the district administrators advised opening the stadium’s 12th Street entrance gate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walking on the track would be permitted, though restrooms will not be available, and bicycles, skateboards, motorized vehicles, flying discs, and pets are restricted.
Supervision from either a police or security officer would be necessary; without one, the track would be closed for the day.
The trial, which lacked a solid start date, would end with a review by administrators, after which time they would share their findings with the community. Questions and concerns over the stadium would be addressed on an ongoing basis.
Communications with the district’s insurance company also revealed a need for additional safety signage on the premises, Ziatyk said.
“And then also we wanted to clarify on those signs for the public that listen, there’s no pets, there’s no Frisbee, there’s no motorized vehicles, skateboards. Everything that our insurance company shared with us as best practices, that this should be used for walking purposes only, and that we would review,” Ziatyk said.
Cash concerns
But perhaps the biggest issue with the proposal is the expense of it all.
According to Ziatyk, hiring an officer for the stadium would cost between $1,500 to $1,800 per month, with the property opened up to nine months per year.
“To me it sounds like the administration still hasn’t changed their stance as far as to have a place to walk just for Sundays, and then the school district is now going to absorb the cost of it. I hope everyone really considers and thinks about that, and… think about it,” board member Jodi Hess said.
"To me it sounds like the administration still hasn’t changed their stance as far as to have a place to walk just for Sundays, and then the school district is now going to absorb the cost of it."Board member Jodi Hess
Board President Meg Sayago said there could be several methods to save on the endeavor: closing the track during the winter, hiring security officers instead of police officers, opening on alternating Sundays alone, and maybe even getting some assistance from the Easton Police Department.
“But, you know, we're not at a point yet where we have any sort of agreement with the city in order to move forward on anything like that,” Sayago said.
Sayago said the “only way” she could imagine the proposal clearing the board would be to reduce the overall cost, which could prompt the members to at least entertain a trial.
Coming off a tight budget season which saw the district eventually land on a 2.25% tax increase, the board is naturally apprehensive about pursing nonessential projects.
“Right now, given the financial state of public education, with the Easton Area School District included, there's not a lot of extras [to spend on]. So, you know, it's difficult," Sayago said. "I understand that it's difficult for people to agree to spend money on things that aren't necessities, so if we can try to figure out a way to address that particular issue, then maybe we would be able to move it forward on a trial basis."
If the proposed trial were to be pursued, Sayago said, the district could evaluate the information to determine if the program is worthwhile, and if visitors prove to be respectful of the space, security may not even be necessary, providing additional savings.
What happens next?
Superintendent Tracy Piazza said there are still some issues the board would have to work in order to pass the motion, though the administration will be happy to work with them if they decide to pursue the matter.
“There are certainly some mixed opinions about opening Cottingham, but we thought if it were the board’s will, the pilot program, one day a week, would be a nice place to start. It is certainly something that should the board want to review this in the future, we are willing to do so,” Piazza said.
"There are certainly some mixed opinions about opening Cottingham."Superintendent Tracy Piazza
Hess suggested the district should "take some of the money and fund a walking path at Paxinosa since we're opening up over there," though Sayago said "these two things are not mutually exclusive."
Sayago went on to propose entertaining the trial period for about two months, likely in the fall, which Ziatyk said would be a sufficient amount of time to gather usage data. However, the measure ultimately failed with four affirmative votes.
As to whether the measure could pass during a session with perfect attendance — this week's meeting saw two members absent — remains to be seen, but the interest remains.
Easton City Councilmember Frank Pintabone, who originally brought the idea to the school board, said while he has heard “from a lot of people in the West Ward that are upset about the decision,” he believes there is still a possibility the plan may materialize.
“I think there are some things here that just need to be discussed further. I think there’s a good possibility that it comes back around again,” Pintabone said.
