New fieldhouse tops list of proposed school projects
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In all, the proposed projects would require approximately $760,000. Also included on the list are a near-total renovation of the middle school’s auditorium and a number of safety renovations to Nunley Stadium.
During his pitch to the school board’s Athletic Committee, high school football coach Gerald Tidwell said a multi-sport fieldhouse would provide many benefits to high school athletic programs, as well as to the school system and the community.
In a detailed presentation Thursday night, he gave committee members a virtual tour of the proposed 15,000-square-foot building which would be able to house a large weight room, a number of separate locker rooms, bathrooms and showers, offices, laundry facilities, equipment storage areas and a large multi-purpose room.
Such a fieldhouse, he said, would be utilized by over 300 athletes participating in football, wrestling, soccer, track, softball, golf and cheerleading. Baseball, he noted, already has its own fieldhouse, while basketball would have enough room for expansion in the vacated space a new fieldhouse would create.
School system athletic director Andy Jacobs said a multi-sport fieldhouse is a necessity.
“We have no space right now. Our athletes are having to work out in the gym lobby and the hallways. We’re busting at the seams,” Jacobs said. “This facility is perfect for all our needs. It would be used by everybody and it’s something we need desperately if we want to move our athletic program forward.”
Board members seemed to support the idea of a multi-sport fieldhouse, but expressed reservations about the cost. Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale summarized these feelings when he said, “It’s a great idea. It’s just a matter of money.”
The board passed a motion to look into the idea further before making any decisions.
In other capital outlay discussions, school system maintenance director Donnie Caldwell informed board members the cost of renovating the middle school auditorium – originally estimated around $75,000 for just new seats – is now estimated between $200,000 and $250,000.
A project the size of seat replacement, he explained, would require other costly building modifications, most notably bringing the auditorium, built in the late ’50s, up to code and making sure it is compliant with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Perhaps the most pressing of the school board’s building concerns is the renovation of Nunley Stadium. A number of items need repair or replacement or they will soon become potential safety problems, some members said. They noted much of this work, including the replacement of bleachers on the stadium’s home side center section, will probably need to be done before the start of football season this fall.
School board members said the need for the two middle school projects is pressing, but again noted financial concerns. Possible solutions mentioned included breaking the work into stages over the next few years, asking the county commission for a bond issue, or dipping into the board’s fund balance, which requires the approval of both the county commission and the state Department of Education.