Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The Sweet Home Economic Development Group offered the District 55 School Board $100,000 Monday night in exchange for removing the Sweet Home High School tennis courts.
Under the offer, SHEDG would provide $25,000 up front and then another $25,000 over the next three years to match other sources of income, SHEDG President Ron Moore said. That cash, along with funds leveraged using the SHEDG donation, could be used by the board to replace the tennis courts elsewhere or for any other purpose the board sees fit.
The board declined to accept the offer during its meeting on Monday night. It chose to put together a committee to figure out a plan for the money, particularly how and where the district might rebuild the tennis courts.
In the short-term, the Jamboree would gain more usable space, Moore said. “We are looking to relocate. We are looking for our own property,” but even so, this is an opportunity for SHEDG to assist the district and the community. “We’re just trying to step up and see if we can help in the overall picture.”
The tennis courts are in poor shape, Business Manager Kevin Strong said. Resurfacing the courts won’t help because the foundation needs of major reconstruction.
“We’ve continued to use them knowing we are going downhill,” Strong said.
With the growth of interest in baseball, softball and soccer, Strong said, the district could definitely use the space to create more fields.
Physical education teacher Debi Temple told the board that tearing out the tennis court would eliminate the sport from the school’s “life activities” class, a class that teachers students sports they can enjoy throughout their lives, even into their senior years.
At the same time, she said, students want to learn the sport; and a group of students want to find a way to bring a tennis program back to the school.
“To eliminate these courts now eliminates a lot of things we can do with our kids,” she said. “If you’re going to think about moving them, take some time.”
Board member Ken Roberts explained his concerns: The district needs to have plans in place regarding facilities, education and staffing so that when opportunities come along like this one, the board can make a decision. Without a plan, the decision is difficult to make.
Chairman Mike Reynolds was afraid that in satisfying this agreement, the courts would not come back for a “very long time.”
“We’re offering a good sum of money to do something better,” Moore told the board. The Jamboree won’t use the courts in their current condition “because those are liabilities we’re not going to take a risk for.”
Turning away from up to $175,000 in outside money that could help improve facilities doesn’t seem like a good business decision, Moore said. “Don’t turn your backs on 100 grand.”
“We need to look at, I believe, what happens if we don’t do anything with these courts,” Athletic Director Dave Goetz said. He is concerned about the liability the district faces knowing the courts are cracked and the area between court five and six has an unsafe depression.
“We’ve got a liability issue if we keep it up another month,” Goetz said. “Right now, we have no plan with these tennis courts except to let them sit there and deteriorate further.”
And a lawsuit stemming from the tennis courts could cost the district $100,000, Goetz said.
SHEDG will need an answer in time for the courts to be removed and the new field prepared prior to the 2008 event, Moore said.
The district will consult with a professor at Oregon State University who is already familiar with the fields to find out what kind of time would be necessary to do this, Supt. Larry Horton said.
The board chose to form a committee to look at the offer and figure out a plan. Moore offered SHEDG’s resources to assist in that process if needed.
SHEDG made a similar offer, with less money, a couple of years ago; but the district board turned it down.
In other business, the board:
– Accepted the resignations of Stephen Curtis, language arts, SHHS; Aaron Cloud, social studies, SHHS; and Louis Dix, social studies, SHJH.
– Hired Pam LaFollett, language arts, SHHS; Blayne Watkins, social studies, SHJH; Tobias Winningham, temporary second grade, Foster; and Rachel Barton, language arts, ELL coordinator.
– Accepted a donation of $2,825 from the New Country Radio and Dierks Bentley Music fund-raising event.
– Declared old phone equipment surplus and gave it to the “Next Step Recycle Center.”
– Accepted a $3,000 grant to pay for the Summer Institute program, a workshop attended by district officials.
– Held the second reading and approved policy changes about restraints and seclusion of students.
– Held the second reading of a policy regarding Internet permission forms.
– Held the first reading of policy changes on school bus safety, student transportation and graduation requirements.
– Announced open Budget Committee positions in Foster, Crawfordsville and Sweet Home. For information, call 367-7126.