By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Another round of public discussions about plans for upgrading Eatonville School District's athletic facilities will be held Thursday night. The Eatonville Facilities Improvement Committee will host a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Eatonville High School. A similar meeting Aug. 11 helped launch an information campaign explaining the rationale for improvements that could eventually be proposed in a bond measure for voter approval. All facilities at the high school and at Eatonville Middle School are being reviewed by the committee, a group of district officials and community members who began meeting in May. Problems with facilities that the committee has studied include spectator seating, safety and security, lighting, the condition of fields, overbooking for team practices, and the inability to host post-season competitions. One of the centerpieces for possible improvements is the football field at the high school. The field itself becomes a safety hazard for players during heavy rain that can turn it into a quagmire, according to the district. The playing conditions, combined with too-low seating capacity, prevents Eatonvilie from hosting state playoff games. The wooden grandstand, built in 1937, "won't last forever," said district superintendent Krestin Bahr. Improvements of athletic facilities are being considered now because it's the right time financially, said Phil Nordstrom, co-chairman of the citizens committee. He noted the district refinanced current bonds to the tune of $1.7 million in taxpayer savings over a 23-year period. Refinancing at the end of 2012 took advantage of low interest rates that will never be lower than they are now, he said. Also, construction costs continue to rise, making improvements more expensive the longer they're delayed. Athletic facilities weren't in the district's last voter-approved bond for remodeling schools because the community feeling was that they're separate, even though they have classroom roles for health-related education, Nordstrom said.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment