×

Flint renews call for athletic facility projects

Wood BOE takes no action on plan

Wood County Schools Superintendent John Flint renewed calls for improvement of the district’s high school athletic facilities during Tuesday’s meeting of the Wood County Board of Education. (Photo by Michael Erb)

PARKERSBURG — Superintendent John Flint wants the Wood County Board of Education to look at possible lease-purchase agreements to replace turf, tracks and bleachers at area athletic facilities.

In October, Flint proposed a plan to put in new turf, a new track and 3,000 bleachers at Parkersburg High School’s Stadium Field, and new tennis courts and 3,000 bleachers at Erickson All-Sports Facility in south Parkersburg. In November, he revised the plan to include a new track and 3,000 bleachers at Williamstown High School’s stadium.

Edward McLiney of McLiney and Company, a financial consulting firm based in Kansas City, Mo., spoke to the board Tuesday concerning the plan. McLiney said over the years his company has handled 66 lease purchases for 33 of West Virginia’s 55 county-based school systems, including a nearly $22.5 million lease-purchase agreement for Berkeley County Schools, the largest lease-purchase in the state.

McLiney said if hired, the company would compile and present lease-option purchases for Wood County Schools. State law allows school systems to lease-purchase equipment, and McLiney said in discussions with Charleston-based law firm Bowles Rice, he believes “equipment” can also include turf and certain kinds of running tracks and tennis courts.

“They didn’t say no,” McLiney said.

Edward McLiney of McLiney and Company, a financial consulting firm based in Kansas City, Mo., spoke Tuesday to the Wood County Board of Education concerning the possibility of using lease-purchasing to make improvements to Wood County Schools athletic facilities. (Photo by Michael Erb)

McLiney said equipment includes items with resale value, which would include AstroTurf. McLiney said if the district uses similar turf to build tracks and tennis courts, those too would have potential resale value.

The length of the leases cannot exceed the life of those products, he said, which is about 8-10 years. Aluminum bleachers would already fall under the definition of equipment, he said.

McLiney said due to federal regulations, he was unable to provide cost estimates to the board unless the company was hired. McLiney did say the company works on a contingency basis, so if the board would look at the numbers and decide not to go with the plan, “you would owe nothing.”

Flint recommended the board hire the company.

“This is in (McLiney’s) wheelhouse,” Flint said. “He’s given us an insight to fix a severe problem in Wood County Schools.”

Attorney Pat McFarland also addressed the board, saying he’d been asked by Flint about six months ago to look at options for work on the facilities.

McFarland presented estimates by architectural firm James T. Sauer and Associates which projected work at all three locations — Parkersburg High School Stadium Field, Erickson All-Sports Facility in south Parkersburg, and Williamstown High School’s stadium — would cost about $6 million. The numbers did not include estimates for facade work at Stadium Field or demolition costs for the existing grandstands at Williamstown High.

The estimates used for demolition at Stadium Field were based off the cost of the past demolition of the home side bleachers.

Flint said his goal would be to “complete” all three stadiums.

“Remember the word ‘complete.’ That’s important,” he said.

Flint said that would include the district providing $500,000 in funding to finish bathrooms at Erickson. The board recently approved the start of a community-funded project to build visitor-side bathrooms at Erickson.

Board member Jim Asbury renewed objections to the installation of 3,000 new metal bleachers at Stadium Field and Erickson, saying those additional seats would remain largely empty as the district and those schools continue to lose enrollment.

“Why don’t they not put in the 3,000 bleachers and just complete the bathroom” at Erickson, Asbury said.

“Well that wouldn’t be complete, would it?” Flint said.

Asbury said the board should focus on necessity.

“No, we should be complete in every facility so we never have to do this again,” Flint said.

“And what is complete? Who defines complete?” Asbury said.

“I do,” Flint said.

Board President Lawrence Hasbargen praised the plan and the superintendent.

“Mr. Flint has a marvelous program put together here, this is his expertise,” Hasbargen said. “John’s right, we’ve fallen behind. And we need to step up.”

“We can afford to do this,” Flint said. “We cannot afford to not do this, to not complete this. We have to stand up as a board, as a county, and as a people and say this is an investment. Now is our time.”

No action was taken at Tuesday’s meeting. The board meets again March 27.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today