Members of the Bethlehem Central School District Board of Education asked Athletic Director John DeMeo to present the board with an overview of needed equipment and facility upgrades for the Athletic Department at its Jan. 4 meeting, and the wish list is well into the seven figures.
DeMeo gave the presentation two weeks after three members of athletics booster clubs asked the board at its Dec. 21 meeting to place a separate referendum on the upcoming school budget ballot to bond the cost of athletics facility upgrades. The group had already met with school principals, community members and athletic directors from neighboring school districts about the plan.
“There’s a need,” said Charles Clas, a member of the group sharing the bonding idea with the board. “We know we’re all in budget constraints. Every municipality, every school board and every resident is feeling the fiscal constraints, so we understand that bringing this up in these times, people might think we’re crazy.”
The proposed plan calls for a 10-year bond of about $1.5 million. The bond would cover the cost of a new turf field, updates to the track and a new lighting system and bleachers in the high school gymnasium.
DeMeo’s presentation called for similar upgrades.
“These are concerns of mine, too, and I wanted to make the board aware,” he said.
According to DeMeo, several football and field hockey games were canceled in the fall because of drainage issues and the bleachers are so old parts can no longer be found. When repairs need to be made to the bleachers, the parts need to be custom made especially for the school.
“I know the bleachers, they’re a liability. That’s just an accident waiting to happen,” said Clas. Another member of the group, Scott Bonnano, said the field was “detrimental to the athletes performing on it.”
The group of booster members said estimates for a new turf field are currently less than $1 million. According to DeMeo, new bleachers would cost around $300,000, refurbishment of the track would be nearly $90,000, and a new lighting system for the gym is estimated to cost around $75,000. Additionally, the athletic director said the tennis courts are in need of repair and the high school gym is in need of a new sound system.
“We really need to resurface of track,” DeMeo said. “It’s recommended to resurface it every seven years and the track is 10 years old, so it’s three years overdue. It should last 20 years, but we have to maintain it.”
He went on to say a better track could actually return funds to the district.
DeMeo said if two additional lanes were added to the track it could attract use for sectionals competitions and other districts may be interested in renting the field if it were converted into turf. If turf wasn’t added, he would like to see a new drainage system installed.
School board President Diane Giacone Stever said the board is intrigued by the idea of the bond since funding for some of the updates had been in budgets in years past, but was removed because of fiscal concerns. Parents of student athletes and booster members had thought to raise the funds themselves, but were unable to because of the amount needed.
“We really couldn’t ask them to try and raise that much money,” Stever said. “The parents already contribute quite a bit already.”
According to the board, a public petition to get the bond on the ballot would need 400 signatures 30 days prior to the vote. She stressed to the group of booster members to get the petition in sooner, so the pubic would have a longer period of time to discuss the idea.
If the bond were voted down, the board would then have to prioritize which items should be replaced first, since it does not have the money to replace everything suggested.
“To me anything that’s hazardous is my priority. Anything that’s hazardous to a student, that is something we just can’t wait on,” Stever said. “I like the idea that there are community members out there trying to help.”
The plan would call for $25 per $250,000 of assessed property value go toward the bond. The bond vote would be placed on the ballot separately from the budget.
Bonnano said it was heartbreaking to have to hold senior night at Shenendehowa, as well as expensive to bus everyone there for the event. He also said it was embarrassing to go to schools more economically challenged than Bethlehem Central but that have nicer facilities.
The group suggested the district would save money by doing the upgrades now because of the lower interest rates and the amount of contractors looking for work.
DeMeo said he understands if not all of his recommendations are tackled this year, but he advised the sooner, the better.
“With the economy the way it is, we have to be conscious about how we spend our money,” he said.
