Stadium fixes, training venue top meeting

ROCKFORD - Parkway officials are considering plans for a new athletic training complex along with football stadium improvements.

Former Parkway football coach Todd Henkle on Tuesday proposed the new training complex to school board members. Ideally, he said the facility would be 25,000 square feet and would probably cost about $1 million.

According to plans, Henkle said the facility could include three surface areas, one for track, one for softball and baseball and one court surface for basketball and other indoor sports. It also could feature a two-lane running track and a workout area.

The facility could provide a number of benefits, Henkle said, including "to strengthen one's body, one's mind and one's determination to the Parkway tradition" and "to promote a sense of pride in the Parkway community."

Board members supported the idea and encouraged Henkle to continue research.

Board members also received the results of the stadium survey from middle school principal Brian Woods. About 55 percent of people surveyed wanted to replace the home bleachers and the press box. The survey said this would cost about $400,000 and would be paid through the permanent improvement fund with no additional tax dollars needed.

About 31 percent of those surveyed favored "flipping the stadium" and putting new home bleachers and a press box on the west side of the stadium and new visitors bleachers on the east side. That plan would cost about $600,000 and would be paid through the permanent improvement fund with no additional tax dollars needed.

Fourteen percent voted to move the stadium to the track. This would cost about $1.5 million and would be paid through a bond issue, according to the survey.   

In all, Woods said more than 430 people took the survey, including students, adults, former players and former students.

"The survey went very well," he said. "It's great that the board wanted the public's input in order to do it right. I was pleased with the number of responses."

In other action, board members unanimously elected Thomas Lyons as the board president during the annual organizational meeting prior to the regular meeting.

Lyons had served previously as president. The board also unanimously elected Melissa Burtch as vice president.

The board voted to continue meeting at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the high school community room.

Also on Tuesday, the board,

• accepted the retirement request from Sandra Bollenbacher as high school secretary.

• approved an overnight request for the wrestling team to attend district finals in Tipp City March 3-4.

• approved an overnight request for the wrestling team to attend the state finals in Columbus on March 9-11.