The Festus R-6 Board of Education recently decided to restrict public use of the Tiger Stadium facility during the overnight hours.
Not only does the school district use the facility on Sunshine Drive for sports practices, games and other events, but also community members often use the stadium’s track for walking and running and groups sometimes use the field for various sports.
However, the school board voted unanimously Oct. 24 to set restrictions on entry into the stadium, and it is now completely closed to the public from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mondays through Fridays.
On weekends, no time limits apply, but entry is only available through a turnstile at one entryway into the facility.
The restrictions went into effect immediately after the vote.
Superintendent Nicki Ruess said a number of incidents involving vandalism led to the change.
“Tiger Stadium had been open to the public with no restrictions (in the past),” Ruess said. “We had several incidents of vandalism – spray painting, urinating on the building and leaving trash and debris on the track and field.”
She said the restricted hours coincide with hours custodial staff members work.
“The (stadium entryways) will be locked at 10:30 when the evening custodians leave their shift and will open up at 6 a.m. when the daytime custodial shift arrives,” Ruess said.
She said custodial staff is off on weekends and would not be available to lock up the stadium entranceways on those days. However, by forcing those entering the stadium to use the turnstile, it restricts what they can bring in with them.
While R-6 leaders realize a significant number of people in the community use the facility, they also need to protect the district’s property.
“We have many community members who exercise at the track, so we want to continue to be community partners, but also keep the track and field in good shape,” she said.