Upset with admin fee, school may charge town to use facilities
Two Riverhead school board members are looking to have the district charge the town’s recreation department and other outside organizations to use school facilities following a bill the district received related to water hookups.
During the July 7 meeting, school board member Chris Dorr expressed outrage over an $18,000 charge from the Riverhead Water District for administrative fees related to construction at the middle school and Roanoke Avenue Elementary School.
“I totally agree it’s their water — they have a right to charge us,” Mr. Dorr said, “but to charge us an additional $18,000 in administration fees is ridiculous.”
Mr. Dorr then suggested the district start charging the town’s recreation department for use of school facilities.
“I totally support the PAL program — my children play in it, I coach in it,” he said. “But I think we might have to look at other options. Instead of having parents or coaches calling us up asking where football is going to be this year, I think they should call the Town Board.”
School board member Greg Meyer said he agreed and asked that the school board’s intergovernmental committee look into the issue.
While he said he understands the difficulty the town faces in providing recreational services, he believes there’s “obviously a disconnect” for the school board not to be given a chance to negotiate administration fees.
The school board took no action on the issue at the meeting.
