The Phoenixville High School track was built and is maintained with public funds. Residents and taxpayers of Phoenixville Borough, East Pikeland Township, and Schuylkill Township — already pay for this facility through property taxes. But the District's new Track Access Pass policy (Policy 707 AR-3, adopted April 20, 2026) turns a public asset into one that's hard to reach, open only a sliver of the week, and locked behind a fee and a multi-step bureaucratic process.

We're asking the School Administration and Board to fix three things.

1. The hours shut most residents out — year-round. During the school year, weekday access is essentially one window, 5:30–7:30 a.m., with the only evening slot being Wednesday, 8–10 p.m. Weekends barely help: Saturday is just 6–9 a.m., Sunday only 6–9 a.m. and 8–10 p.m. Summer hours feel like a deliberate snub. Even with school out, the fields empty, and no schedule to work around, access is just 6–8 a.m. and 8–10 p.m. daily, locking the public out for the entire 8 a.m.–8 p.m. stretch on the longest, most usable days of the year. In practice, the policy bars residents during nearly every hour a working person, parent, or older neighbor could realistically use the track.
2. Residents are charged for a facility they already fund. The policy adds a $10 fee for a pass, plus another $10 to replace a lost card. We've already paid for this track through our taxes. Charging again to walk or run on it treats public recreation as a paid privilege, and the fee is a real barrier for some households.
3. Getting a pass is needlessly difficult. Passes are issued in person only, Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. — entirely within the workday, so anyone with a 9-to-5 has to take time off just to apply. Cards then take up to two weeks to process, and require a second in-person trip to pick up. If a pass lapses, online renewal is off the table and you start over in person.

We're asking the District to:

1. Substantially expand the access hours, with real weekday evening and daytime windows and longer weekend hours. For reference, Springford track is open to the community:  Monday-Friday: 5:30-8 a.m. and 3-8 p.m. during the school year. Saturday and Sunday: 5:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Summer hours are 5:30 a.m.-8 p.m. 7 days a week for residents who have approved access.
2. Eliminate the access fee, since residents already fund this facility through their taxes.
3. Streamline the process — offer an online or mail-in application with digital proof of residency, shorten processing time, and drop the mandatory second pickup trip.

This isn't about compromising safety or District athletics. It's about keeping a taxpayer-funded community track genuinely accessible to the community that paid for it. Please sign and ask the School Administration and Board to make these changes.