Gym floor ads stopped - for now

The Columbia Falls school board wants more information before they allow the Wildc/kat Athletic Endowment Fund to put advertisements on the high school gym floor.

WAEF raises money for high school athletics above and beyond what the school has funding for, but selling advertisements on the gym floor didn’t sit well with some School District 6 trustees.

“Number one, they have to have permission from this board before they put something on the gym floors,” trustee Larry Wilson said.

School board trustees said they weren’t aware of the idea until school district clerk Dustin Zuffelato brought it up in his agenda report for the school board’s Aug. 18 meeting.

WAEF’s board of directors recently approved the corporate sponsorship idea as a way to raise money.

Each of the four businesses with a 4-by-8 foot logo would donate $1,000 to the endowment fund, and the proceeds would be used to provide meals for students who travel to events during the upcoming school year.

The WAEF board also told school district officials that the logos would be removable and would not impact the condition or longevity of the gym floor. Several local businesses had already indicated an interest in the decals.

School board trustee Barb Riley openly wondered how commercial the high school should become.

“Where do we stop?” she said.

WAEF boosters already advertise on the gym wall, but the ads don’t contain logos or any contact information.

Riley suggested that advertising on the Wildcat buses used to transport athletes might be a better option and would give the businesses more exposure in the long run.

School superintendent Steve Bradshaw said the district should have a policy that clearly defines the matter.

Wilson, however, said he wasn’t sure a blanket policy was a great idea. He’d rather take each request case-by-case.

The school board trustees agreed they want WAEF to present the idea in person. The proposal will go before the school board on Sept. 8.

School board trustee Dean Chisholm expressed optimism on the matter.

“This should be easily resolved,” he said.

WAEF reported that Heritage Day fundraising was slightly up this year.

They raised $30,608 at the three 2014 Heritage Days events, about 7 percent more than last year.

The biggest increase was from the auction, which raised $20,235, nearly 15 percent more than last year.

Proceeds from the barbecue were also higher. The barbecue raised $4,653, about 36 percent more than last year. Golf tournament proceeds, however, were lower than in 2013, dropping about 23 percent to $5,720.