KINGWOOD — The Preston County Board of Education discussed a deteriorating track, leaky roof and other maintenance needs this week.
“I think we need to come back to you next board meeting with exactly what we have left in our maintenance budget and a prioritized list,” Superintendent Steve Wotring told the board of education Monday.
For example, not all classrooms have fully functioning air conditioning units, he said.
“And we can’t do it all at once,” the superintendent cautioned. “So we’ve really got to leverage everything. Look at what we can pull off, get the most bang for our buck, get as much done as we possibly can as early as we possibly can.”
That was after Board Member Jeff Zigray asked about summer maintenance projects. He mentioned replacing the leaking roof on the bus garage and fixing damage to the Preston High School (PHS) track caused by flooding from the parking lot.
“Water’s probably six inches deep on there,” at times, Zigray said.
Board Member Bruce Huggins, who was athletic director at PHS before his retirement, said drainage is a longtime problem.
“I can’t count on both hands the number of times the track has flooded,” Huggins said. Three or four years ago, water was calf-high on athletes, he said.
The track was installed in 2004 at a cost of about $200,000, which was paid by grants, Huggins said. It was designed to be refurbished in 10-12 years by adding additional rubber on the surface. At that time it would have cost $30,000-$35,000, he estimated.
The work wasn’t done.
“Now you’re looking at roughly $100,000,” to refurbish it and closer to $165,000 to upgrade the track to modern standards. “We’re at the point now where the existing surface needs to be removed and start over again,” Coach Paul Martin said.
It’s a safety issue, Huggins said.
“Kids are actually running on blacktop,” because the rubber is gone, which can lead to shin splints and stress fractures.
In addition, he said, there’s a financial aspect. Huggins said with the track as is, it’s unlikely Preston could host a regional meet. Martin agreed.
Middle school and grade school teams use the track and football fields, Huggins said, so it’s really a Preston County facility, not a PHS one.
Board President Jack Keim said drainage needs to be fixed before fixing the track. Board Member Bob Ridenour asked Martin if PHS could contribute money toward repairs. Martin said the program has many needs and no funds to spare.
In other discussions, Wotring said the anti-bullying presentation, Building Hope, done for PHS freshmen last week was well received. Board Member Pam Feathers, who first made the board aware of the program, said she would like it to look into a middle school program.
She also asked Wotring to research whether Harrison County, which has had the program for three years, has seen any change in its student behavior. He agreed to check.
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