Oftentimes you’ve got to pay to play, or in Batavia City Schools’ case, pay a little more.
Batavia’s Board of Education approved a contract Thursday for four guards to provide some extra security for home football games. The fee is $29 an hour per guard at about five hours each, Superintendent Jason Smith said. That’s about $580 per game, or $2,900 for five games.
You can blame it on Batavia Blue Devils’ track record, he said.
“That’s for special events, home football games. We’re drawing 1,000 people or more at those games,” he said to The Batavian Friday. “With a successful team you draw more people.”
The extra personnel will be retained for four or five home games, he said. Those guards won’t be overlapping the district’s school resource officer and retired law enforcement personnel currently distributed throughout the four different school sites, he said.
The agreement is for services from April 1 to December 31 of this year, and is with Armor Security and Protection Inc. of Rochester. The company is to provide state certified security guards “to provide security and safety services for property located at 120 Richmond Ave., Batavia,” the contract states. Work includes monitoring venues for inappropriate, illegal behavior or actions, reporting of safety concerns within the venue and assisting with safe entry and exits. The guards are to notify law enforcement or other emergency service providers as deemed necessary. Documentation is to be provided to the school district about any incidents deemed a reportable event or at the request of the district, according to the contract.
Guards will be wearing an Armor Security uniform of black pants and shoes, and an Armor uniform shirt, layered with an Armor jacket during colder months.
