The Sumner County Board of Education voted to move $15.5 million out of reserves to fund the first wave of stadium renovations, rebuilds, and facility updates in the district.
The need for renovations arose following the collapse of Beech High School’s bleachers last month. A portion of the visitors’ bleachers at Beech High School’s Shackle Island Stadium collapsed overnight following days of heavy wind and rain.
The district installed temporary bleachers for the opening football game of the season and had every stadium inspected.
“I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn to say that I think everyone on the board is generally in the same place, that we want the absolute safest facilities we can. And my goal through this process is that we can remove bleacher conversations from our conversation for the rest our natural born lives,” said Director of Schools Scott Langford. “I think we said this last month, we set the bar high and rather than go down, let’s lift everything up.”
Langford said the district’s goal is to have all Beech High bleachers restored by next year.
The $15.5 million approved Tuesday will also fund other repairs such as replacing Station Camp High School’s gym roof and addressing the water damage on the school’s track.
Community members voiced their appreciation for the swift work the district did in putting a temporary solution in place but stressed the importance of putting a permanent solution in place.
“The collaboration that I saw take place within that with the administrators, elected officials, and our communities over the past month, it actually gives me hope that we can work together for a more permanent solution because of the way we all game together and reacted on a more temporary solution. This allows us to continue our quest toward a new standard that’s already been set and established in recent athletic facilities that’s been constructed that’s high quality, they’re functional, and they’re also something that we as a community and a county in my opinion can be very proud of,” said parent Charles Haygood.
Other parents said the stadium repairs will bring additional benefits including contributing to long-term academic success of student athletes.
“The Shackle Island Stadium brings together hundreds of people every week. It’s not just Beech football, it’s Knox Doss, it’s their home field. It’s the junior Bucs, it’s the junior Mustangs. It’s T.W. Hunter. So, it is a place where people come together, not just football players, but the band and the cheerleaders and everybody is unified on that field. So, it’s a place where community is built. And we have a responsibility as citizens of this community to the parents, the students, and the educators here to do what’s right,” said parent Beth Steering. “I’m not asking you to choose football stands or teacher salaries. I’m asking you to choose both. There’s place for both. There’s a need for both. And it takes having a great athletic program for the unification to come together so the students can learn better in a classroom.”
