District Releases Agreement on Turf Field
CVSD agreement with donors outlines control, timeline and protections for the district on the $6 million gift of an artificial turf field by a group of donors led by Charlotte businessman.
(Editor’s note: This ‘memorandum of understanding’ was released with a statement from Board Chair Meghan Metzler. Click her to read her statement in its entirety. We are awaiting comments from principals in this issue as well as answers to questions we put to the district and will update this post as we get them.)
The Record Staff report
The agreement between the Chittenden Valley School District and a group led by Healthy Living co-owner Eli Lesser-Goldsmith was signed and released to the public on July 15. A copy is attached below.
The agreement is a tangle of legalese, but here are some important parts:
“The District will be the applicant or co-applicant for required local or state permits, as appropriate, and will review, approve, and execute design submittals, permit applications, procurement recommendations, construction contracts that require District approval, and other documents within commercially reasonable timeframes.”
“The District shall have final approval authority over all phases of Project design, permit submittals, contract awards, construction scheduling, construction safety protocol development, issuance of change orders, and notices of substantial and final completion.”
“Following acceptance of the Gift, the District will assume responsibility for use and maintenance of the Project.”
Any funds raised that are left over at completion of the project will be given to the District for maintenance and/or replacement costs.
The donors, for the moment, will be using Friends of CVU as its nonprofit fiscal agent with the possibility of The Community Field Project forming its own nonprofit organization at which time it could transfer fiscal responsibility to that entity.
The district grants the donors the ability to grant naming rights – permanent or for a period of time - for parts of the project, including the field, stands, seats, lighting, concession stand, etc.
The district retains the right to remove the names in the event the named person is convicted of a felony or exhibits behavior contrary to the values of the district.
All public announcements and outreach materials will be released jointly and with both parties’ approval.
The agreement can be ended through mutual consent or in the event of one party being in violation of the agreement.
“On August 13, 2025, CVSD and the Donor executed a non-binding Term Sheet that set forth principal terms for a restricted gift in support of the Project (the “Term Sheet”) which provided that the Parties would negotiate in good faith and execute a definitive agreement memorializing such terms.”
