Brick Dragons Football Club on the snack-stand sidelines this season

Security concerns were the only reason the locks were changed at the snack stand at the Warren Wolf Sports Complex, Brick Township school Business Administrator James Edwards said.

The changes were not made to shut out members of the Brick Dragons Football Club, he said.

"It wasn't an issue of them being thrown out," Edwards said. "That was a non-issue. No one ever made that decision. That is the furthest thing from the truth. They are not being forbidden from using the facility."

Edwards met with club President Richard Kight and a number of other club members late last week to discuss the issue.

"I told him with all due respect, it's a Board of Education building," Edwards said. "It's no different than any other building in the district. They are not being thrown out of the stand. They will certainly have the right to use the building."

Kight said the club's goal was to establish ownership of the contents of the building, like soda cases, grills and pizza ovens. Club members either bought or had the equipment

donated during the 51 years the club has been in existence.

But it's doubtful that Brick Dragons club members will be manning the snack stand this year, since another parents club is being formed, Kight said.

The equipment could be left in the snack stand and used by other groups with the Brick Dragons Football Club's permission, he said.

"We don't want to just donate it," Kight said. "It's a substantial asset of our club, if we ever find ourselves needing the equipment again."

The Brick Dragons Football Club — a nonprofit 501(c) corporation — has been running the snack stand at the football field for more than half a century, starting when the high school opened in 1958. Club members last had access to the stand on July 2, when they went to retrieve some items used for fundraising at the first night of the township's Summer- Fest event earlier this month.

But a new football club, composed of parents with active players, is apparently being formed. Kight met with new football coach Patrick Dowling seven weeks ago to discuss the Brick Dragons Football Club's future role in Brick Township High School football. Kight said it was his impression that Dowling felt that only active parents or players should be in the football club. Dowling has declined to comment on the matter.

Kight said the Brick Dragons club did not want to take any action that would hurt the current players or impact the coming season.

"There's nothing to be served by that," he said. "It's just going to hurt the kids at the end of the day."

Edwards said the locks were changed after Brick Township High School Principal Dennis Filippone told Assistant Superintendent Patricia LaRusso that too many people who were not district employees had keys to the snack stand, Edwards said.

"We need to know who is coming and going in our buildings," he said. "I called the superintendent of building and grounds and said to change both cylinders. We can't allow that to continue."

From now on, no one will have keys to the snack stand. Whatever organization wants to use the building will have to put in a use of facilities request, as per board policy, Edwards said.

"We have a Community Use of Facilities Policy electronic system in place for scheduling," he said. "The snack stand wasn't being scheduled in that manner. Now they have to put in a use of facilities request, just like you would any other facility in the district. Once the request is granted, we open the building for the group. They don't have their own keys to the building. It's all done electronically. It's not a long process at all."

Kight was one of many who objected to Dowling's controversial appointment to succeed longtime football coach Warren H. Wolf. Wolf announced his retirement on Dec. 7. He later urged the board and administration to pick a Brick assistant coach as his successor.

The board instead settled on Dowling, who came after a year as football coach at Allentown High School and a number of schools prior to that.

Wolf rescinded his resignation after he learned that a non-Brick coach had been given the job, but the board and school administration turned him down.

The Brick Dragons Football Club has always been open to anyone who had an interest in Brick football, whether they had a child on the team or not. Some of the members are not happy with the events of the last few weeks, Kight said.

"They are angry at a level that frightens me," he said. "These are the guys that used to circle the field with lights so the kids could play. They are angry, no two ways about it. It's almost like being told they are not wanted."

Kight said he is encouraging the disenchanted club members to support the boys this season, regardless of what has happened recently. The club's other fundraising efforts will continue, he said.

"We want them to be successful," he said. "Now we are waiting to see if the Board of Education will accept the offer we made. I don't know why they wouldn't. It's pretty generous. I don't know where you can get a 1960s pizza oven."