Applications are being accepted for community members and groups interested in reserving a school district facility for meetings or other approved uses during the 2014-15 school year.

This is the second year of a more efficient facilities use reservation process. All requests are directed to the school district’s Facilities department, which maintains a master calendar listing the availability of each school or other facility districtwide.

The Facilities department completes the reservation process from start to finish, including processing facility use payments. District-sponsored activities retain first priority in the use of all school facilities.

To learn more about reserving school facilities, visit the school district website or contact Facilities Use Specialist Bryson Bickler at (253) 841-8772 or bicklBJ@puyallup.k12.wa.us. Facility use reservations can be made via email, phone, or in person at the Facilities department, 323 12th St. N.W. in Puyallup.

The 2014-15 fee schedule is posted on the district website. It reflects increased use fees in some areas and decreases in others, with about a 4 percent cost increase overall from the 2013-14 school year.

This is the first time in two years that the district has increased the fees, and a survey of surrounding school districts shows Puyallup remains competitive with its facility use fees, Bickler said.

 Use of facilities by community groups was up more than 8 percent last year, with 20,107 event dates scheduled throughout the school district. More than 80 percent of those event dates involved youth sports, with a majority in the nonprofit sector.

Other facility uses range from adult nonprofit groups to scouting organizations