Jefferson High School’s board approved a feasibility on August 20 study to explore the initial planning and design for a new football field and track.
The decision was made at the latest board meeting. Superintendent Erik Wilkerson highlighted that surplus funds from the high school expansion project could now be redirected towards this new endeavor.
Although the track and field facilities were part of the original expansion plans, they were excluded when construction contractor bids came in significantly higher than had been estimated when the school raised money via a bond issue in 2021.
With the remaining funds now available, the school is focusing on enhancing its sports facilities.
“We want a football field and a track. With this motion, we approve the feasibility study, they tell us how much it’ll cost. If we have the funds then we say, yes, we’re going to move forward,” Wilkerson said.
Funding for the project will be sourced from the remaining bond from the expansion project, with the total cost estimated at approximately $1.5 million.The school is in the process of finalizing the remaining funds, and it will take a couple more weeks to complete the full calculation.
The project’s architecture firm SMA Architecture said this study will reevaluate the budget and will address specific concerns regarding the construction of the facilities such as the design or drainage issues.
“The football field needs regrading, so there’s just some questions in there that we can’t answer right now. So this initial step will help us to answer those questions as well as the potential costs for those things,” said principal of SMA Architecture Jason Davis.
Pending the availability of funding, The firm aims to put the project out to bid this winter, with construction beginning next spring. However, Davis noted that this timeline could affect sports activities next fall due to the unavailability of fields for practice and hosting games.
The meeting also approved a long-awaited $137,000 project to upgrade the tennis court, which has been plagued by cracks. This project will involve a full asphalt replacement.
Leah Lewis from the Jefferson Local Development Corporation proposed the plan, with $100,000 coming from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The high school will contribute the remaining funds, according to Wilkerson.
Additionally, the board approved the 2024-25 school budget of $2,800,510. Wilkerson said this year’s budget is approximately $80,000 higher than last year’s due to an increase in student enrollment. The budget report highlights rising costs in utilities, school supplies, and out-of-district travel as contributing factors to the increase.
