Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Injured Student Forced Board To Move Work Up

An accident at the Prescott Middle School gym has led the district to make its renovation a top priority.

According to Prescott Superintendent Ron Wright, a student was injured when a basketball struck a light fixture in the ceiling, causing it to fall.

The fixture struck the child in the head, resulting in the student having to get medical attention.

Wright informed the Prescott School Board, at its regular monthly meeting Wednesday, Jan. 19, this project was moved up in priority.

All other light fixtures have been checked and shouldn't fall, he told the panel. In addition, the architect, engineer and electrician are ready to begin renovation work at the gym.

Wright said he would like to get this project finished as quickly as possible with the work being done during the school day.

Some of the renovation work will include installing new lighting and a new heating and air conditioning unit.

Originally a drop ceiling was going to be added in the gym, but this was nixed to keep the ceiling tiles from being knocked out.

Instead, the ceiling will have the tiles removed and be painted white, with brighter lighting added.

Wright said the building won't have to be rewired, which will save some time and money.

However, the front of the gym will be removed, with a single add-on constructed, replacing the two there now. The new add-on will be wider with a handicap ramp and will have restrooms added.

Work on the floor at the gym will be done last.

In discussing the new gym for Prescott High School, Wright said the architect is looking at everything the district wants to put in it and see if this can be done.

Soil samples are being taken to see what will have to be done during the dirt work part of construction.

As it stands work could begin in late spring or early summer on the project, and will take about a year to finish.

Wright said this year's sophomore class will likely be the first to play in the new gymnasium.

The board also talked about building a new softball field for the Wolverette team.

Last year the district was approached by concerned parents over the lack of a field for the girls team.

Wright visited with George Odom, director of Parks and Recreation in Prescott, about it, and now it will become a reality.

The site has been surveyed, and the district will have to remove a couple of trees. The location, Wright told the board, has less than a foot drop in elevation overall.

Odom said the district won't have to bring in much dirt, as most of what's needed can be moved around to level out the field. However, he did say topsoil would have to be added.

Outfielders, Wright said, will be facing east and won't be looking into the sun for fly balls.

The City of Prescott will be helping out, and, in fact, be building a little league field at the James Johnson Complex at the same time.

The board asked if the little league field could be moved away from the parking lot.

Odom said the site was established under a grant and can't be moved.

The softball field, he added, will be ready this year, if the weather holds.