Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

School Construction Goes On During '98

Educational construction was in the news most of the year in Gurdon, making it one of the top stories of 1998.

The year opened with work being done on a new middle school for Gurdon students. This facility was later named after the local family who's help made the structure the showplace it came to be. The new middle school was officially named the Cabe Middle School.

As work progressed on the school in April, the Gurdon School Board discussed getting warning lights installed on Highway 67 to help slow traffic during school hours.

The months melted away and the school got closer and closer to being a reality. By July, it was evident the new school would be ready for opening when the 1998-99 academic year started.

Lockers for CMS were taken from the old Gurdon Middle School, which had been the former Gurdon High School.

Teachers were anxious to begin moving into their new rooms at CMS, as the old facility was in poor repair, and the board, as the year came to an end, discussed selling the old GHS property.

However, when CMS was finished, there was no place for the choir or gifted and talented program.

The board asked voters in Gurdon to pass a three mill increase to make overall improvements in the district.

These planned improvements included renovation at the primary school, construction of a new physical education building, with two classrooms, at CMS, and building a new football stadium, field house and track.

The vote was close on them millage, but passed 354-309.

Though not affected by the millage, a new PE building was under construction at GPS. The money for this facility came from a grant from the Cabe Foundation.

At the close of 1998, the GPS PE building was lacking the bleachers and some minor work, but was occupied and being used by the students.

The school board also gave Bobby Smithson, superintendent, permission to accept the low bids so the slab for the CMS PE building could start being built as well.

Cost of the CMS structure, according to Smithson, would be about $200,000.

At the same time, dirt work was being done on the football field for the new stadium.

Hopes were, as 1998 ended, the new athletic complex would be finished before the 1999 season began for the Gurdon Go-Devil football team.

Overall, though, the district's construction plans included some $2 million in work.

Renovations at the primary school were projected to cost about $800,000, with most of the work to be done during the summer of 1999.

Plans for the stadium include a 5,000 square foot field house with dressing rooms for the senior and junior teams. Visiting teams will use the area for the junior high squad.

Additional plans are to construct a 3,000 square foot concession stand and restroom area for the new complex, which will have a proposed seating capacity of 2,000. Of this, 1,250 seats will be on the home side, with the other 750 for visitors.

The board agreed the only time more seats would be needed for visitors would be for the Gurdon-Prescott game every other year.

Total price of the field house and athletic complex, Smithson estimated, would be around $800,000, with the field house costing approximately $200,000 alone.

Work on the GPS PE building, CMS PE structure, GPS renovations and GHS football complex, which will include a new track, will continue into 1999.