Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Money Could Affect Construction

Construction for the Gurdon School District is progressing well, according to Bobby Smithson, district superintendent.

Speaking to the Gurdon Rotary Club, Smithson said unless something happens, football next season will be played on the new field.

The construction of a physical education building for Cabe Middle School, he said, has been completed, giving the school a gymnasium and two additional classrooms.

One of these rooms is for the choir, but because of concerts, Sandra Hitt, choir director, hasn't been able to move in yet.

The field house and concession stand are almost completed. The two combined have a total of almost 8,000 square feet.

The concession stand, Smithson said, is larger than any previous one in Gurdon history. At this time, he continued, it needs the interior ceiling to be installed, lighting and shelving, along with getting the storage room ready.

However, he said, the biggest worry is the football field. Some 2,000 yards of topsoil have been hauled in for the field, with the drainage system put in place.

Before the sprinkler system can be installed, he said, the area needs some dry weather. This system will be installed by the same company putting sprinklers in War Memorial Stadium when it was converted from artificial turf back to natural grass.

The material to surface the field is in, but can't be installed until the sprinkler system is in place.

The field will be topped with Tipton 419 bermudagrass, the same type of grass used on many golf courses. Smithson said it will take six to eight weeks for the grass to begin taking hold and needs to be in by June 1 for football season.

R.J. Love has the contract for the bleachers, he said. They are scheduled to be in by early June.

The lighting, Smithson told the Rotarians, will be an improvement over what Gus Brown Stadium has.

The poles will be buried 10 feet deep, with 70 feet above ground. On each of the poles will be 18 halight lamps to help illuminate the field.

"It will be hectic," he said, "but we should be ready to go by football season. We'd like to get all the former Go-Devils here on the second play date (first home game) for the dedication of the field."

It is doubtful work will be completed at Gurdon Primary School by the time classes start for the 1999-2000 session.

This, he said, is because more projects got added to the original plans.

Foundation work at GPS, though, could begin within the next two weeks.

Plans include installing a gable roof, new construction between the wings and adding four new bathrooms for the students, along with a new computer lab and two new classrooms.

This work, Smithson said, needs to be done before the new roof can be added.

The hallway near the bus ramp will be covered, with windows, new heating and air conditioning units, and aesthetic work being done to the front of the building. This will include removing the wooden doors and replacing them with storefront doors.

GPS will also get new lighting, carpet, doors and ceiling.

Returning to the topic of the stadium, Smithson said it should be done by football season and will exceed the expectation of the fans.

The stadium, he said, will be colorful with purple and gold stripes around it.

The ticket booths will have roofs covering them to help protect fans during inclement weather and will also be striped.

Parking at the field will be between the home bleachers and Highway 67.

"I hope the money from the sale of Gurdon Middle School comes in soon," he said, "so we can put the track down.

"We're worried about money, especially at GPS. When it's bid this month, we may not have enough to do all we had planned and may have to go to a priority list."