Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Board Updated On Construction

Construction is nearing an end at the Gurdon Primary School physical education building.

Bobby Smithson, superintendent of the Gurdon School District, told the Gurdon School Board, at its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 17, the floor has been lain in the facility and the water and gas lines will soon be hooked up.

In addition, the restroom fixtures will be installed shortly, but there will be a delay on the bleachers.

The bleachers were supposed to arrive this month, but the company said it will be December before they come in.

Still, the sidewalk has been poured from the main building to the structure, and the canopy will be installed as soon as possible.

Alvin Easton was the low bidder on pouring the slab for the Cabe Middle School PE building. As it will have a post tension slab, two pours will be required for the foundation.

The actual building was ordered a month ago, Smithson said, and should be in soon. Hopes are it will arrive by early December and can be erected by the end of the month.

If all goes according to plan, he said, students can begin using the PE building by February.

Smithson informed the board Gurdon Athletic Director and head football coach John Pace had been working on plans for a new field house for the Go-Devils.

The field house will be in the northeast corner of the lot, will be fenced in and be about 5,175 square feet. Smithson said at $40 per square foot to construct, this building will run about $200,000.

With the exception of the coach's office, the field house will not be air conditioned.

Visiting teams will use the junior high locker room during high school games.

The field house will have a foyer and double doors to each locker room. The basic floor plan contains an area for trophy cases and offices for two coaches.

These offices will each have private toilet and shower facilities.

The locker rooms will measure 30 by 39 feet, with 50 lockers in each one.

There will be a 9 foot by 9 foot roll up door to make it easier for moving weights in and out of the structure.

Additionally, the field house will have an area for laundry and storage, along with a mezzanine which can be used for storage as well.

Bids are being sought for a pre-engineered building with a steel frame. The outside, Smithson said, will look like chipped block. The building will also have a standing seam metal roof.

With time being a factor, the board gave Smithson and board president Jesse Runyan permission to open bids and accept the low bidder on the project.

Any delays, he said, could result in the Devils playing their 1999 football season at Gus Brown Stadium.

The field house, Smithson said, will be the most expensive structure for the new stadium. The total price will be around $800,000 for the football field, bleachers, stadium and field house.

The concession stand will be behind the north end zone, with three sides open for serving purposes.

It will be 34 feet wide and 75 feet long, with the restrooms included. It will also have a 9 by 17 storage area, with a display table for the wares being offered and shelving underneath the counter for storage.

The concession stand will have a vent-a-hood on the back wall for the stoves. However, it will not be air conditioned.

It will, though, have roll up windows and an extended roof where fans can stand in inclement weather.

The board questioned putting a pavilion near the concession stand, similar to what Murfreesboro has. It was decided to add such a structure if there is money available after everything else is done, or possibly wait until later.

Two years ago, the board discussed an academic hall of fame. The idea was "back burnered" as there was other, more pressing business to take care of.

But, it was revived at the meeting, with Stan Escalante suggesting a five-member panel to draw up criteria for such a "hall".

The rest of the board agreed, with Gurdon High School Principal Leonard Gills getting appointed to head the committee drawing up the criteria. Gills is expected to have some idea of requirements for the academic hall of fame at the December meeting of the board.

The district received one bid on the old GHS property. The bid was for the entire package, and $50,000 was tendered as the offer. It was made by Charles Cooper for the Mt. Canaan Baptist Church.

Under advisement from Smithson, the issue was tabled. The old Gurdon Middle School sold for $150,000, and the bidder on the GMS property is working to get a grant to purchase the GHS land as well.

The board will address the sale of the GHS property again at the December meeting.

The district's revenue was increased by $24,000 at the last state board of education meeting, Smithson said.

The state board suggested using the money for health insurance, but gave districts no mandates to be specifically followed.

Smithson suggested giving the employees bonuses as the amount would be negligible against the cost of their health insurance.

The board agreed and the full time workers will get $200 bonuses, with the part timers receiving $100.

Smithson said the collection of revenue for October in property taxes was down more than expected. In fact, he said, the projections are the district will get $165,000 less than anticipated.

Estimates, he said, are based on 90 percent collection of property taxes, but at this time only about 79 percent have been collected.

It was suggested many waited to see what was going to happen to proposed Amendment 4 before paying their taxes. This issue was removed from the ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election.

If this is the reason, Smithson said, the November collections should be significantly higher. The district will know about these funds at the December meeting.