GENTRY — School board members, at their July 16 regular meeting, heard suggestions for the location of a new multi-purpose athletic complex on the Gentry High School campus.
Mark Haguewood, Larry Perkin and Mike Spaeth, representatives from Hight-Jackson Associates architectural firm of Rogers, brought preliminary diagrams, showing two possible locations for the 292-feet-by-170-feet structure at the end of the football stadium parking lot and between the baseball diamond and the practice fields. If built in the parking area between the stadium and the softball complex, the building would face to the east and take up a portion of the parking area for the stadium.
In the second proposed location - between the baseball diamond and the practice field - the structure would face toward the south.
Other possible locations were also mentioned by board members.
Also presented to the board, by Larry Perkin of Hight-Jackson, was the suggestion the board use the construction management process rather than simply putting the project out to bid and accepting the low bid.
Perkin made the suggestion because the present economy could make for “wobbly” and “unstable” subcontractors and put the school district at riskof receiving less of a quality building.
He said hiring a construction manager would give the school district the advantage of having a construction manager’s input throughout the planning and building process and would ensure the district would receive a quality building.
Perkin called the construction management process the “best value” and “totally transparent.”
After discussion on possible costs both ways, the board members agreed to have several construction managers address the board at its August meeting.
The board also selected Coye Cripps, Clarence “Beau” Kreger and David Williamson to represent the school board on a committee to help develop plans for the complex. Other board members will be welcome to participate as well. Gentry athletic director Brian Little will select committee members from the public and work together with the committee to develop plans for the athletic complex.
Haguewood and Perkin said that Mike Speath would be the architectural firm’s project manager for the complex. Spaeth served as the project manager for the new Siloam Springs High School.
School Board members voted last month to let voters decide whether the school district should refinance 2002 public bonds and make avail-able approximately $3 million to build a multipurpose athletic facility at the high school.
The board, in June, adopted a biennial budget which calls for the issuance of $3,600,000 in bonded debt to retire the March 1 and August 1, 2002, bonds, and to erecta new school facility. The bonds will mature in 25 years. The biennial budget calls for no increase in the 42.9 state and local millage rate currently being paid for the maintenance and operation of Gentry Public Schools. That rate includes 28 mills for general maintenance and operation and 14.9 mills previously approved by the voters for debt service. That 14.9 mills would continue until the new bond amount is paid off over 25 years.
News, Pages 1 on 07/25/2012