Visitors improvement grant will help fund press box at YU Freeman Center

​YORK – A grant from the York County Visitors Improvement Fund will help fund the construction of a press box inside the Freeman Center at York University.

​This past week, York County Visitors Bureau Director Alex Saathoff and York University’s Jared Stark met with the York County Commissioners to talk about the grant application.
Saathoff said the YCVB was recommending a $75,000 grant from the visitors improvement fund (revenue generated by lodging taxes) for this project.
Stark explained how the Freeman Center “is one of the most heavily trafficked facilities at York University. It draws a lot of people with events, sporting events for the university, the CRC, homeschool events and much more. We have wanted to build a press box there for years. Now it’s just an open area and this would enclose a space, making the venue more attractive and usable.”
“It was unanimous to recommend the $75,000 grant for this project, for the press box,” said Commissioner Randy Obermier, who sits on the YCVB board.
It was acknowledged how originally the university was also asking for grant funds toward putting air conditioning in the building as well. Obermier said there was hesitation about using promotional funds for an air conditioning project. “York University is a wonderful asset but I felt the press box was a better fit for the use of those funds.”
“The press box project is the only one on the table today,” Stark said.
“I think the Freeman Center is great and it is wonderful having York University in York County, but I have hesitation using tax dollars for an entity that does not pay taxes. I think some help would be great, but I’m hesitant on the full $75,000.”
Obermier noted how “the improvement funds are collected from the traveling public, they pay the lodging tax and it is used to create tourism. We always try to stay within that road and it comes down to how you define tourism.”
Saathoff said there is currently $375,474 in the improvement account, with $122,000 of that allocated for other projects. She said the monthly receipts into that account are between $15,000 and $25,000, there was enough money in the fund to be used for this grant.
All the commissioners, with the exception of Grotz, voted in favor of the grant.