WOODVILLE – With the end of the school year fast approaching, it is natural that school districts are looking to find projects to make improvements to facilities, wherever they are needed, in time for the next term to begin.
The Woodville ISD Board of Trustees voted on several district-wide projects at its regular meeting on Monday evening.
The first such item on the board’s agenda was to consider the approval of work to be done at Eagle Stadium to replace the turf on the field and to redo the track. WISD Superintendent Lisa Meysembourg reported to the board that the current turf field is getting to a point to where its slickness creates conditions for slippage injuries during play and exercises, and the average lifespan of the turf is 8-10 years, while the Eagles have utilized the current field for 11 seasons.
Business Manager Cody Jarrott said the district, with the board’s approval, has put back funds for several years to eventually replace the turf on the field, and at present, that fund balance is $525K. The board had earmarked $50K per year for that effort, and increased that amount by $25K last year, due to inflation, Jarrott said.
Two firms had bid on the project, Hellas and Field Turf, with the latter coming in with the lower bid, which matched what was in the fund allocation.
For the track project, Meysembourg said the district has not been setting aside money for that, so it will have to come from the general fund balance. To resurface the track would cost $150K, but would only allow for two years of use. A complete re-do of the track would come with a five-year warranty.
Meysembourg added that the district has been ineligible, due to UIL rules pertaining to exchange zones, to host track meets, based on the current condition of the track. If it were re-done, she said, WISD could host meets.
Robert Wilcox, with Field Turf, spoke about both projects, and said that for the turf on the field, his company’s product emulate grass more closely, and the blades are wider and more spread out than competing products.
Wilcox said that his company was also the leading track builders in the world, and have constructed tracks for various collegiate programs, as well as a potential Olympic contract forthcoming.
Meysembourg recommended that both projects be considered by the board in one agenda item.
“What we’re finding out is how expensive athletic facilities are to maintain,” Jarrott said, before board member Bryan Shirley made a motion to accept Field Turf’s proposal for the football field for $525K, and the track redo at $326K. The vote was unanimous to approve these projects.
The board also approved a resolution to use the surplus bond funds for use toward other board-approved capital improvement projects. Under the language of the bond, which was passed in 2023, the surplus funds must be used toward education-related expenses and not athletics.
The slate of projects prioritized by the district to go ahead and greenlight are the chillers, which are HVAC components, at the Woodville Middle School campus; the WMS roofs and remodeling of the Ag Barn.
