- Allentown School District officials want the city’s permission to install a slew of upgrades at Andre Reed Park, next to Dieruff High School
- Officials are asking for a $1-per-year, 99-year lease
- The proposal will likely be debated in upcoming months as part of the city’s 2024 budgeting process
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Dieruff High School students and officials are urging their representatives on the Allentown City Council to let the school district take over and complete long-overdue upgrades at Andre Reed Park.
Four students joined school board members Phoebe Harris and Patrick Palmer on Wednesday night at a meeting of the council’s parks and recreation committee.
Andre Mamari, goalkeeper for Dieruff’s boys soccer team, called out inequities between the facilities at his school and those at Willam Allen on the other side of the city.
“We’re constantly worrying about whether our next step will be a solid step or if we’re going to fall and twist our ankle because of all the holes in the ground."
Caleb Rash, Dieruff senior
He said his team is sometimes forced to share the field with up to three other school groups.
“We don’t have the resources other schools have. Look at Allen. They have their own field; they can practice whenever they want to,” Mamari said. “It’s just (about) equity with Dieruff. It’s hard. It’s hard.”
He called the condition of the field “awful” and said players “don't know where the ball is going half the time.”
Caeb Rash, a senior who plays as a lineman on the football team, told council members that players are often unsure of their next step on the field.
“We’re constantly worrying about whether our next step will be a solid step or if we’re going to fall and twist our ankle because of all the holes in the ground,” Rash said.
“We can’t get a grip. We’re supposed to give our all, but the field won’t let us.”
'First-rate' upgrades
Allentown School District officials asked Mayor Matt Tuerk in June to consider a partnership that would allow the district to make upgrades on the field, which Palmer said barely meets standards set by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The mayor rejected that idea, Palmer said, asking council members to work toward a partnership instead.
“We are trying to do upgrades to give our students what everyone else in the area already has,” Palmer said.
If the council approves the $1 annual lease, the district will work to install “first-rate facilities” at Andre Reed Park, including restrooms, concessions, seating and lighting, officials said.
The district’s proposal will likely be debated in upcoming months as part of the city’s 2024 budgeting process.