Concerns about liability and damage at Northern Lehigh Bulldog Stadium have led school district officials to close the facility for public use.

School board members voted last week to close the stadium to the public.

They said their decision was based on concerns about people getting hurt using the facility, or damaging the track by misusing it.

“Locking the stadium secures liability, number one, and the potential of any kind of damage that can be costly to the district, is what I’m seeing,” said Gary Fedorcha, school board president.

The board is concerned about damage to the all-weather track surface, which is designed for foot traffic only. Board members reported seeing people misusing the track with bicycles, skateboards and strollers.

“You’ve got women with baby strollers running with their children, people with scooters, bicycles. all that wear and tear on a million dollar track takes its toll,” said board member Bob Kern.

Another concern was a potential lawsuit from people entering the stadium. Officials said that even if the stadium is unsupervised, the district could be sued if someone is injured while exercising on the track or bleachers.

“If we’re going to allow the public to go in and out of a gated area, I think we’re assuming liability, even if there’s not supervision there. During a football game, there’s supervision there,” Kern said.

In some cases members of the public would use the facility while there were gym classes taking place in the facility. Athletic Director Bryan Geist said if the district doesn’t allow community members in classrooms during instruction, then the facility should also be closed to the public during those times.

Board members said members of the public are free to exercise on other parts of the campus. Robin Distler said that community members could walk and run on the sidewalks around the school campus.

Not everyone on the board was in favor of closing the stadium to the public. Michelle Heckman said it’s good for athletes who want to run specific distances, and a good amenity for taxpayers of the district who do not have children enrolled.

Heckman said the liability concerns with people exercising on the school campus would not be much different from those involved with the track.

“If I slip and fall on a sidewalk outside the library, versus slipping and falling on the track, isn’t that the same thing for the district?” Heckman said.

Gail Husack voted in favor of closing the stadium, but pointed out that there have been issues with people misusing the stadium even when it’s locked.

The board also decided to disallow pets in a fenced area used for sports and activities near the Northern Lehigh Middle School. Heckman voted against, because she believes it should be open during the off season.