Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Stadium Will Need Millage Hike

If Go-Devil football fans want a new stadium, they will have to increase the district's millage for it.

The Gurdon School Board, meeting in regular session Tuesday, June 23, voted to seek a 3 mill increase in the September school elections.

Superintendent Bobby Smithson said with this amount, the district should be able to construct a new football stadium and a physical education facility for the Cabe Middle School.

The district is currently doing dirt work for the stadium using dirt from the CMS parking lot project to fill in low areas. Crews from the Clark County Road Department have been helping on the project as well.

Smithson said financing for the stadium had been worked out with no millage increase needed. But, when school ended and the district had lost 40 students, these plans fell apart.

He said the project could be done for $500,000, and using post-dated warrant bonds for $250,000 was considered. The original idea also called for using $100,000 from the operating fund budget. Coca Cola, he told the board, has been negotiating a grant for the district if Gurdon will use the company's product at games.

The problem, he said, is being able to recover the lost students. The kindergarten population for the 1998-99 school year looks good so far, he told the board, which could leave the district in pretty good shape.

But, he said, a stadium and PE facility are needed, as is a field house for the team. The field house could be constructed large enough to house the football equipment, and act as a PE building for CMS students, he said.

In the interim, though, Jeff Alexander, CMS principal, has been told to schedule PE activities outside as much as possible. In inclement weather, the students are to study health.

Smithson said the two projects could be done with 2 more mills, but refused to recommend.

Board member David Williams said the district needs to ask for three mill for the projects.

Board president Charles Ledbetter said people have been asking about a new stadium, and are being told without the money one can't be built.

Smithson said the district could build the stadium with help from the Horace C. Cabe Foundation, and a grant for $150,000 has been written to be decided on in October, but the PE building would be a couple of years off. "We've taken on all we can now," he said.

Stan Escalante said the Cabe family has told him they would be disappointed if the community wouldn't help with the construction costs of a new stadium.

Two mill, Smithson said, would being in about $70,000 a year.

Charles Hatley said the people should be more receptive to a millage increase now because of the progress the district has had of late.

The board debated the issue before making the decision to seek 3 mill for the construction of a new stadium and PE building.

Conversation turned to the current Gurdon Middle School structure, with Smithson saying Delores Hodge, with the Clark County Youth Development Council (CCYDC), showing interest in buying the facility.

Smithson said if the structure isn't sold, the best thing would be to raze all but the auditorium and gym.

With the district seeking the millage increase, he said, the budget for 1999-2000 will have to be altered accordingly.

In addition, should the issue pass in September, it would raise Gurdon's millage from 33 to 36 mill.

Petitions for the school election need to be in by July 31. There are two seats open, Tommy Overbee's and Charles Ledbetter's, but anyone living in these districts can file a petition and run for the board as well.

Smithson said the district needs to get organized and have a directed effort to get the millage issue passed, as voting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15.

In other business, Smithson updated the board on construction of the new CMS facility. The new middle school should be ready by mid-July, he said, with the exception of the canopy being in place.

The furniture will be delivered by today (Wednesday, July 1), with the marker boards and bulletin boards expected in by July 15.

The canopy has not been ordered yet, and is expected to cost about $8,000.

Smithson said the board needs to schedule a dedication at the July meeting, with the ceremonies set in August before school begins.

All bids for a PE building at the Gurdon Primary School were rejected by the board at the May meeting.

Smithson said he's tried to work up a cost estimate for the structure, which will have more than 4,000 square feet of space. A doorway was added to the specs, as was framing for an exhaust fan.

With the changes made in the plans, he said, it should cost approximately $125,000 to build the facility, while the district has a grant for $144,000 to get the job done.

Once all plans are in place, he said, it will take five weeks to get the pre-fabricated metal building shipped to Gurdon, but the slab would be ready by then.

The final order of business was to hire Jean McCorvey as the parent coordinator.