Why Risk Failure By Trying?

Tweet

As I read about yet another privately owned semi-pro team’s difficulties of finding a home field stadium somewhere in Rock County, I wondered if the football team Gladiators have spoken with the Beloit Snappers. Now it appears there are at least two teams willing to help fill the stadium of dreams touted by several wealthy county residents. Which brings me to my point here.

The Rock County Gladiators, a new semipro football team approached the Janesville School District about using the districts premier high school stadium for a few games. The district is being careful about the request and understandably has liability concerns.

But whether it was the new four-court gyms of the Janesville School Referendum or the newly renovated Janesville City Hall kitchen complete with LCD TV, one of hot selling points brought up to convince the taxpayers to open their wallets is the idea that these facilities can be used by the public for various events and community activities. Now, I’m not for turning public-use facilities over to profit motivated private entities without getting a piece of the pie. But I wonder where the city attorney was with all of their liability insurance contingencies when pro-referendum salesmen insisted school facilities can double-duty as a center for other community activity.

JG Editorial Excerpt:
When the district was justifying its $70 million referendum to upgrade and expand the high schools, officials suggested improvements could lead to more community uses.

If everyone needs the same insurance coverage to use a public facility the schools requested from the Gladiators, its easy to say the community can use the facilities but only providing certain conditions are met first including:
-- obtain at least $10 million in liability coverage, naming the school or city as one of those insured.
-- agree to reimburse the city for any "financial consequences of injuries to persons or property."
-- The city obtain additional property insurance to cover damage to the structure, with the user paying for the coverage, costing about $500.
-- contract for security services and staff - no volunteers-according to any police or school district requirement.
-- The city would be able to cancel with two hours' notice, and the user would be responsible for finding an alternative site.
-- The user would pay for the cost of cleaning the facilities, and the city could hire a private service for that purpose.
-- The city could cancel the agreement with five days' notice.
-- The user pay the city’s usual commercial rate for use of the structure, and would be responsible for any additional costs of using the structure.

Considering we live in such a lawsuit crazy society, I agree with all of the school's demands, but where was all this rhetoric about liability during the referendum run-up? The next time someone helps justify spending $70 million with the double-duty public usage talking point, I'll ask them to guarantee the liability insurance among other things. I'm afraid we haven't heard the last about the tactics employed to pass the Janesville School Referendum yet. People are winning awards for pulling off this sham.

These protections are necessary and are just another reason why the county’s decision to scrap the land swap deal was a very smart decision under tremendous pressure. The county’s responsibilities to protect the taxpayers are no different than the school district’s - that's the reality. On one hand I admit we will accomplish nothing if we have to worry about every single thing that might go wrong, but I have to ask – Where are those deep-pocketed venture capitalists entrepreneurs and risk-takers when you really need them? Perhaps the risk really is too great.