October 14, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
New lighting and bleachers will be in place at the DeKalb County High School Football stadium within the next few months.
During the regular monthly meeting Thursday night, the Board of Education voted to purchase LED lights and poles from Musco Sports Lighting based in Cincinnati, Ohio at a bid price of $151, 951. Installation will be done by the school district’s maintenance crew. The existing six poles and lights will be replaced with four poles and a total of 28 brighter LED lights (seven lights per pole). A show light entertainment package is included with a control and monitoring cabinet and touch screen for onsite theatrical light show effects. The new lights are expected to be in place by graduation next May.
The board also awarded a bid to Toadvine Enterprises based in Fisherville, Kentucky in the amount of $477,123 for the purchase and installation of new aluminum handicapped accessible bleachers with a section of VIP seating at the DCHS football field which includes the relocation of a portion of the existing bleachers to the high school soccer field and to make them handicapped accessible. The new bleachers are to be in place by the start of the football season next year.
Currently the total stadium seating capacity is 994 including over 600 on the home side and the rest on the visitor side of the field. With the new bleachers, the stadium home seating capacity would more than double to over 1,300 stretching almost the length of the field. There would be no bleacher seating expansion on the visitor side. The benches will also be powder coated providing opportunities to display school colors. A concrete base will be put down to support the new set of bleachers.
Bid specifications for the new bleachers include the following: elevated 15/5 row x 218 feet long; total seats 1,305; fully closed shot blasted slip and stain resistant walk surfaces; powder coated riser boards in school colors; powder coated riser closure below front walkway in school colors; (14) ADA notches; 40 inch elevation at walkway; (3) entry stairs; (1) ADA ramp; 8 inch rise x 24 inch spacing at bench seats and right and left sections; 5 rows x 69 feet long VIP section; 10 inch rise x 33-5/8 inch at VIP rows; VIP colosseum vented chairback seats.
In other business, Director of Schools Patrick Cripps gave his monthly report on personnel.
Those employed since last month are Jennifer Adcock, Educational Assistant at Smithville Elementary School, Katie Denton, Educational Assistant at DeKalb Middle School, Tavia Gilbert, Educational Assistant at Smithville Elementary School, and Tanya Howard will replace Dean Broadhead at Smithville Elementary School. Dean Broadhead has been transferred to an Educational Assistant position at DCHS.
Employees granted a leave of absence as requested are Suzanne Gash, Tina Gash, Emily Harville, Janda Hendrixson, Danielle Horton, Shelia McMillen, Carol-Ann Tripp, Mary-Margaret Tripp, Celia Whaley, and Elizabeth Wright.
Kenderly Cripps has resigned as bookkeeper at the central office and Ethan VanHook has resigned as an educational assistant at DeKalb Middle School.
The school board meeting began with a moment of silence for the family of Eli Harvey, a 4-year-old DeKalb West School Pre-K student who died after a tragic accident on his family’s property earlier this week.
Board member Danny Parkerson asked that the board consider recognizing the child and his family and others in the future who die while still enrolled in the school system. Director Cripps agreed adding that the child will be remembered as part of his graduation class when that time comes years from now.
Director Cripps asked the community to keep in prayer the Harvey family as well as the DeKalb West School family who are going through a difficult time with the loss of Eli.
Director Cripps also recognized a Northside Elementary School student, Ace Tarpley who was featured in a story on NewsChannel 5 recently. Tarpley will be part of an upcoming Murfreesboro production of “Peter Pan,” a play that gives children with disabilities a chance to shine on stage. Ace has spina bifida and hydrocephalus. The play will be presented in January at the Murfreesboro Mills-Pate Arts Center.
The board also authorized an application for an Innovative School Models Grant to provide four-year funding for the high school, middle school, and the west school to boost opportunities for career readiness and student success.
The “Innovative School Models” grant opportunity expands on the state department’s initial ESSER investment of $30 million with an additional $500 million investment of state funds designed to eliminate structural barriers that exist between middle and high school, workforce, and post-secondary opportunities. These models allow students the ability to seamlessly make connections earlier and graduate high school prepared to successfully complete a post-secondary credential or excel in a career pathway of their choice.