Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
During the regular meeting of the Madison County District School Board on Monday, April 5, School Board Member Frankie Carroll brought up the conditions of some of the athletic facilities at Madison County High School (MCHS). Carroll, a former MCHS Head Football Coach, said he felt that the condition of the tennis courts and the track at the school could pose a risk of injury to the school athletes. Carroll also addressed the condition of the press box at Boot Hill Stadium. “I think that press box is a liability,” said Carroll. “It [could] fall on somebody's head.” According to School Superintendent Shirley Joseph, the school's maintenance department has plans to repair the press box during the summer months.
The condition of the track and the tennis courts has been a topic of discussion for several years. Both facilities have cracks and holes in the surfaces, through which weeds and grass are growing. “Before practice, we go out and pull weeds,” said MCHS Tennis Coach Brigitte Gudz. According to the current School Board Chairman Bart Alford, the school board has been talking about the tennis courts since 2013. In 2016, estimates were received on the price of six new tennis courts. The estimated price tag on new tennis courts totaled $161,000. The price for a new eight-lane track would be in the neighborhood of $124,000. If MCHS hoped to host district track meets, the track would have to be eight lanes and constructed out of a rubberized material instead of asphalt, which is the current surface. This requirement is for safety reasons. Now, the condition of the track is so dilapidated that no track meets can be held.
“I agree it's something we need to look at,” said Alford. All the school board members agreed that the need exists for major repairs and upgrades to be made. The problem lies with the lack of funds to accomplish this. It was hoped that the track and tennis courts would be part of the $15 million school renovation project undertaken several years ago, but that did not turn out to be the case.
Carroll asked if it would be possible to propose a “SPLOST” tax, as several Georgia communities have done. A “Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST)” is, as the name implies, a sales tax that can be used to fund certain projects. The City of Valdosta has used “SPLOST” funds to great success to help fund the new water treatment system for the city.
School Board Attorney Tommy Reeves offered three suggestions to the board to consider in terms of funding sources for the facilities. One was the SPLOST option. This could be a half-penny per dollar sales tax in addition to the current ad valorem tax. This would have to be approved by the voters of Madison County. Reeves said, to his knowledge, Madison County had never had a SPLOST tax and he was not sure what the restrictions on such a plan would be. Another option could be to levy another two mills to use for facilities. It was not believed that the district is using the full two mills at the current time.
A third option for funding could be “racetrack” funds from the state. “Racetrack” funds are funds from dog racing and other para-mutual betting sources. In order to keep from possibly losing the availability of these funds, bonds were taken out against these funds. Reeves said it could be possible to refinance these bonds. Reeves said he would take a look at the possibilities that exist with these three options.
Another option that could be used to at least resurface the track are “asphalt funds.” These funds come from the school's transportation activity in the form of rebates. These funds can only be used on oil-based products, such as asphalt. Many schools use these funds for resurfacing parking lots, etc.
Another option could be a partnership with the county to use the tennis courts at the Recreation Department. There could be grants available for additional tennis courts, but the courts would have to be open to the public a part of the time.
For the time being, safety is a major concern when it comes to these aging facilities. The tennis courts may already be too far gone for simply resurfacing. With the school system being as strapped for funds as they are, it may come down to community support in order to accomplish these improvements.
The next regular meeting of the Madison County District School Board is scheduled for Monday, April 19, at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the district office at 210 NE Duval Ave., in Madison.