Parkway facilities to be given names

ROCKFORD - A policy that would allow Parkway Local school buildings to be given names was narrowly approved by the board at Tuesday's Parkway Local Schools board of education meeting.

Casting dissenting votes were board members Betty DuBry and Kim Brandt. Bob Ransbottom and Terry Shaffer were in favor of the policy and after a lengthy time, board President Dana Smith finally gave the deciding yes vote.

The board had talked the subject to death for the past several months and an online survey revealed the majority of Parkway school district residents supported the policy of naming facilities.

"I just think there's a lot of people very deserving of recognition and I think it will be a difficult thing to draw the line and not leave someone out," DuBry said this morning. "I'm not saying they don't deserve something, maybe a plaque, tree or scholarship. It's just going to be difficult to do justice to everyone."

In other action at Tuesday's meeting, the board heard an update from high school Principal Greg Puthoff on progress made at the outdoor sports facilities meetings.

An outside sports facilities group has been meeting to establish guidelines for the construction of the school district's athletic fields and related items.

"We came up with a wants vs. needs list," Puthoff said.

Currently two practice fields (softball/baseball) that could be converted to game fields are needed, Puthoff said, and work on the fields would have priority so practices can begin as early as next spring.

The practice fields, to be located on the south side of the school, are estimated to cost $10,000.

"The practice fields are the main things and if we do this, our immediate needs would be met. We plan to meet one more time and then we need to work on funding," Puthoff said.

The group plans to visit sports facilities in St. Henry, Minster and New Bremen on Saturday to gain insight on how other schools do it. It is addressing all issues of the sports facilities including moving the football field to the new track area, building a game field for softball at the former high school site and improving Don Black field with new lights, dugouts with press box and additional bleachers.

School district resident Kathy Fisher asked the board to consider re-evaluating the use of the weight room on behalf of her son, Jason, a Parkway graduate and currently a football and track athlete at Bluffton University.

"He told me he could no longer use the facility and I'm asking the board to revisit the policy and open the weight room for use by alumni college students," Fisher said.

"The Athletic Boosters have contributed more than $6,000 for the weight equipment and I think the goal was to allow alumni to use the facility also."

After a brief discussion, the board granted permission to allow supervised use of the facility by alumni.

In other action, the board:

• Approved the field trip for the eighth graders to Washington, DC. The trip will be April 14-19.

• Gave permission for the fifth grade to go on an overnight field trip to Camp Wilson, Oct. 9-10.

• Granted permission to agriculture teacher Alan Post to take students to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Oct. 23-27.

• Voted 4-1 to hire John Archer as co-head golf coach for the 2007 season.

• Modified the supplemental contract of co-head golf coach Michael Schumm for the 2007 season.

• Accepted the resignation of Matt Fisher as head varsity boys track coach.

• Moved the next board meeting to Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library.