The board of education called a special meeting last Friday where the main topic of discussion was the new plan for a competition track at the Jesse Owens Museum and Park.
The park in Oakville entered into a Museum Operations Agreement between them and the school board back in April. As of now, no schools in the county have a regulation track.
In superintendent Jon Bret Smith’s report, he mentioned that they had started to finalize plans for the new track.
“ Mr. McKee did send me some updated drawings,” Smith said to the board. “They’re not finalized yet but he was trying to get those in a timeline for Jesse Owens and I hope to have those in the next couple of weeks.”
Item 13A in the agenda approved by the board, accepts a contract with McKee & Associates, an architecture group in Montgomery, to create plans for the track and stands.
“ Exactly what that’s gonna look like, if you go up the, the main road to the Jesse Owens Park, the design should put it in the back part towards the left,” Smith said. “That’s probably the best side as opposed to the front.”
Smith said one of the options they’re looking at is putting a soccer field in the middle of the track.
“It is feasible. I think with how we’ve done in the past, we’ll put out a bid and that will be one of the things we will add to and we’ll have to see what the cost is,” he said. “It’s very possible with the way it’s designed.”
He said he’s already been in contact with the firm and they’ve sent out tests to see exactly what’s needed.
“ The only thing that I would like to say that’s not on this agenda, it’s a very small item, is last night late I got a proposal from engineering for a septic system design for Jesse Owens, whether it needs to be a mounted system or traditional system,” he said. “So that’s just testing for such in the design plan.”
Besides the news about the Jesse Owens Museum and Park, Smith also talked about the drainage issues at East Lawrence High School’s football field.
“ I sent multiple meeting emails about the drain issues at East High School, football field. We’re looking into fixing some of those issues as well,” he said. “That’s what 13i is, is the beginning of that, to let engineers develop a plan for that drainage.”
He also announced that the special needs prom will be moved from Ingall’s Harbor in Decatur to the Cook’s Museum, also in Decatur.
“The special needs prom is transitioning from Ingall’s Harbor to the Cook’s Museum,” Smith said. “Mrs. Norwood and that group have changed some things up and we think it’s going to be another great prom.”
