Red Raider Snack Shack Support!

Five years ago, the booster clubs for the Coatesville High School athletic teams who utilize the multipurpose field on the high school campus had the awesome idea of providing a 10’ x 12’ concession stand at the field. This would provide the booster clubs for the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, girls’ lacrosse team and field hockey team (and now the boys’ lacrosse team) a place to sell concessions without setting up tables & tents at each home game, and also providing a place to store items without lugging totes and coolers to and from our cars each night. We were excited to continue to provide meals for our student athletes, families, and guests while raising money for the teams as we have always done, but with much greater ease. Simple, right?

So far from it!  See the entire timeline and key details here.

Yes, I said five years ago! Five years, hundreds of emails and endless hours later. . . and we are still persevering toward this vision. We need the support of the Coatesville School Board members more than ever to get to the finish line and we need them to feel the same urgency we do. We need our final phase completed before the 2019-20 school year starts, and that is why we have asked to present our proposal at the Coatesville School Board Committee meeting July 9, where we will request approval of our final phase and the support the five booster clubs desperately need, and the student athletes deserve.

I understand that with every project there are always obstacles that should be expected, and the boosters have faced each one over the past 5 years with patience and perseverance to get to where we are today. But we are exhausted. And quite frankly we need the community and the board members' support to reach our end goal. Though the timeline I provided is condensed, it is telling. There were delays due to land development requirements the district had not met and delays due to inefficiency of expediting the process, and with each delay and each hurdle we have managed to stay positive and resourceful in finding solutions. Some of the obstacles felt more like roadblocks, because they could have been avoidable with better communication, stronger collaboration, and a greater transparency. Below are just a few examples . . .

1. Every step along the way we have had to push, push, push to get anywhere. Emails from the boosters to the district did not result in any measurable progress, and it was time consuming just to make small steps forward. We have tried to be understanding of the demands on those who work for the district and respectful of their time, but these unnecessary delays added up over the 5 years, as did the frustration and disappointment. Cathy Taschner was usually quick to respond to an email, but her responses typically did not result in any change in actions. That being said, the progress that was made to-date was made with her assistance. She made a point to be personally present at each phase of the project. While we are thankful for her involvement, we never had a speedy ‘get it done’ moment result, and her personal involvement was less efficient because everything had to be managed based on her availability and other priorities. Further, we have never had anyone involved from the district reach out to us first to help us move toward continued progress. If we never sent another correspondence, I truly believe the concession stand would sit there and become an equipment shed. It is time for the District and Board Members to become more invested toward seeing this project to completion. Teamwork!  

2. There is no feeling of collaboration between the district and the boosters with this project. There is no collaboration between the different departments within the district. For instance, I have numerous emails of support for the electrical plan from day one to recently, such as Cathy Taschner’s email on October 23, 2018 where she stated. 

“Yes, you are correct, the District continues to support the project. We need the donation form for the shed. Once we have that and the shed is the ‘District property’, we can give the final ok on the electrical plans. This will allow the boosters to provide the donation form for the electrical work and the District can then submit for the permit to Caln Township”

Then on May 2, 2019 after the electrical plans were submitted, I received an email from Matt McCain stating,

“At this time, the District is the only entity that may authorize a consultation about the shed with a Health Inspector or service organization” and he went on to say, “When I began my employment at CASD, I was told that the purpose of this shed was to only store snacks and beverages for the booster clubs so that each group did not have to keep transporting all of their items back and forth for each game. My understanding is there was no plan to add electricity or any other food service equipment to this shed. While I understand the perspective of the booster clubs wanting more, there was no agreement to add anything else but the shed for the multi-purpose facility on campus. The shed is now the property of the District and is our responsibility to maintain and monitor the use of. The District also accrues the cost of maintaining the shed and any other additional permits that would be attached to turning this into a fully functional food service facility that would need to be inspected on an annual basis”

*NOTE: The electrical panel and receptacles have been in the plan since the onset, the concession stand has the electric wiring in it, the electricians & engineers have been given access to the concession stand & electrical shed, and many emails discuss the electric. 

I think the contradiction in these emails show that while top administration says they support the efforts, there is a disconnect between the outward support we hear and the directives given to those we are asked to work with to achieve our goals. More consistent collaboration is necessary between the District members and with the boosters on both this project and all projects going forward. Issues like this created the obstacles throughout and I ask that we please come together toward the same goal. 

3. A final example is the most recent obstacle. In emails after the fall 2018 season it was brought to the attention of administration and those on the email chain that the extension cord that was utilized to give power to the concession stand was not a safe option and thus we needed the electrical work completed. In an email this spring it was mentioned in an email that Randall Glass had a discussion with the Health Department and that the topic of the multi-purpose field concession stand came up with regard to what could be sold. No immediate action was taken on either count, however, within a week of us submitting our electrical plan to the district, Matt McCain emailed all boosters who use the field and said that effective immediately there would be no use of the extension cord for the concession stand and boosters could no longer sell anything but packaged foods and drinks. I questioned why there was such urgency after we submitted the electrical plan but not when the concerns were originally expressed.

This leads me to question the motive. Was is for safety or was it a roadblock? However, whatever the reason, the boosters were quick to let facilities and Matt McCain know that we wanted to work with the district to find solutions that would allow the boosters to use the concession stand as intended, while staying in compliance with the Chester County Health Department.

IN ORDER TO FINALLY RESOLVE THESE DELAYS, WE HAVE ASKED TO PRESENT OUR FINAL PHASE TO THE SCHOOL BOARD AND REQUEST THEIR SUPPORT TO HAVE THE CONCESSION STAND READY TO GO FOR THE FALL SEASON. 

We all need to be on the same page and work together. Please reach out to the School Board and ask them to support the final phase of our endeavor. There needs to be a more efficient way to implement positive projects that benefit our district, and there need to be more consideration to how the process can be streamlined for the parents and donors giving their time so graciously. 

Over the past four years the original vision of the concession stand did not come to fruition, but I am hopeful that our fine student athletes and amazing booster families will have the concession stand up and running this September . . . with the help and support of the School Board and Administration, and a lot of hard work from the boosters! We are ready to get it done! 

GO RAIDERS!

Written by Amy McFarland