Wood County BOE approves turf deal for Erickson All-Sports Facility, Williamstown High School

Assistant Superintendent of Operations Kaleb Lawrence, right, talks to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday about turf installation projects at the Erickson All-Sports Facility and Williamstown High School. Lawrence presented artist renderings of the projects and said construction will be begin in the spring and be finished in the summer. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg South Patriots and Williamstown Yellowjackets will be hitting the gridiron on turf next fall after the Wood County Board of Education approved the bid of Turf Alliance LLC for approvements to the fields at the Erickson All-Sports Facility and Williamstown High School.

“They do the Super Bowls, major NFL teams, BCS championships, all college football,” said Assistant Superintendent of Operations Kaleb Lawrence. “And I’m not saying that as the other turf companies out there were bad, that’s not what I’m saying. They all do good work. But we had an opportunity to work with a company that puts in the Super Bowls and that extensive reference list. We feel very confident, they have just blown us away at the meetings.”

Lawrence said construction on the 105,400 sq. ft. field at the Erickson All-Sports Facility and the 85,051 sq. ft. field Williamstown High School will begin this spring and be completed sometime this summer.

The bid for the Erickson All-Sports Facility field came in at $1,729,768 with the Williamstown High School field coming in at $1,378,618. Lawrence said the price difference was due to the track surrounding the Erickson All-Sports Facility field, which requires more turf material.

“The South field has more square footage between the track and the end zones, so that’s why the price is a little bit higher,” he said. “But we were able to negotiate a better per-square-foot rate since we’re purchasing a larger volume.”

Amelia Roedershemer, teacher at Parkersburg High School and local American Federation of Teachers president, right, Jessica Robinson, AFT representative, center, and Organizational Development Specialist with the WVEA Catricia Martin asked the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night to sign a resolution to address significant increases in PEIA health insurance premiums for state school employees and retirees. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Lawrence said in addition to the turf itself, the contract includes the supply of maintenance equipment and training for district staff on how to properly care for the new fields.

“They’ll be coming in and training our people on how to maintain that turf, because it’s not just putting it down and forgetting about it,” Lawrence said. “There’s a certain number of hours you can practice on it before you need to recondition and refluff the field to keep it in good shape.”

He said the turf company will also test the fields annually to ensure they continue to meet safety standards and maintain the 10-year warranty.

During public delegation, Pat Peters, a former principal at Williamstown High School, expressed concerns about the adequacy of the drainage system for the new field at Williamstown High School. He mentioned an area on Fifth Street where current drainage measures may not be sufficient to handle the additional water flow from the new field. He said there is a history of flooding in the lower floor, including the cage room which houses critical infrastructure like the elevator, electrical systems, communications, and data.

He said he is worried that the new field could exacerbate the flooding, potentially causing water to flow from the football field and courtyard into the school’s classrooms.

Melissa Weppler, a parent and long-time soccer advocate, along with many young players, urged the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night to reinstate the girl’s soccer program at Williamstown High School during public delegation. Weppler said players no longer want to play on a coed team and that there is enough interest with younger playings coming up to the high school level to reinstate the team. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Lawrence said while he is excited about the new turf fields, he does anticipate some minor change orders for additional drainage work and leveling in certain areas to answer those concerns.

Lawrence also told the board the district received bids for the Williamstown High School concession stand project, with the lowest base bid coming in at $655,000. An alternate bid to add more concrete work around the facility totaled an additional $106,000.

“We had $500,000 set aside in the budget for this concession stand project, so the bids are coming in higher than what we had originally planned,” Lawrence said.

The concession stand will include restroom facilities, with the number of restrooms reduced from the initial plans to meet building code requirements. The district had to get a special allowance for the number of restrooms, as the original design called for more than what is typically required.

It was mentioned the Williamstown community had expressed interest in building the concession stand themselves, rather than having the district handle the project. However, Lawrence explained that this would not be feasible due to logistical and liability concerns.

“The material cost alone for the concession stand is $325,000, so it would be impractical to ask the community to fund that,” he said. “There are also liability issues with the district handing over a building project to the community. We have to ensure the facility meets all codes and standards, which could be costly if not initially met.”

The board approved the bid to to Phoenix Associates, with a base bid in the amount of $655,731.00.

“We’re trying to balance the needs of the community with the realities of the budget and our responsibilities as the school district,” the project manager said. “It’s a challenging situation, but we’re committed to delivering a high-quality concession stand facility for the students and families of Williamstown.”

Amelia Roedershemer, teacher at Parkersburg High School and local American Federation of Teachers president, Jessica Robinson, AFT representative, and Organizational Development Specialist with the WVEA Catricia Martin asked the board to sign a resolution to address significant increases in PEIA health insurance premiums for state school employees and retirees.

The group said the proposed changes include a 14% increase in premiums for current state employees, a 12% increase for retirees, a 40% increase in deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, and more than doubling the spousal surcharge from $147 to $350 per month.

They explained that these increases are due to legislative changes made in 2023, including a shift in Medicare reimbursement rates and higher than expected costs for popular weight loss medications. This has created a $100 million budget shortfall for PEIA.

To address this, they asked the board to support amending the state code that requires an 80/20 cost-sharing between the state and employees. They want to change this to ensure the state pays no less than 80% and employees pay no more than 20%.

They noted some recent victories, such as the PEIA Board’s decision to maintain the tiered salary structure with 10 tiers, and the confirmation that retiree premiums will not increase. However, they emphasized the need for broader legislative action to stabilize PEIA long-term.

The board signed later signed the resolution.

Melissa Weppler, a parent and long-time soccer advocate, along with many young players, urged the board to reinstate the girls soccer program at Williamstown High School during public delegation.

Weppler said the girls’ soccer program at Williamstown High School folded two years ago due to low numbers, with only 10 girls remaining on the team. She explained that several girls have since quit playing soccer altogether, not wanting to play on a coed team. She also noted that two girls have transferred to other schools to continue their high school soccer careers.

Weppler said there are currently 13 girls interested in playing soccer next year, with some new players and others returning to the sport after a hiatus.

Board members voiced support for a new team and Board President Justin Raber asked administration to look into reinstating the girl’s team at Williamstown High School.

“My granddaughter was an all state soccer player in Portland, Oregon, and I think if there’s anything at all that we can do to help them develop a soccer program at Williamson High School, it would be a great asset to the school and be a great asset to those young ladies,” board member Randy Modesitt said. “So I think we need to do what we can do to get their program.”

Many of the board members wished everyone a happy holiday as the district prepares to go on break from Dec. 20 through Jan. 6.

“I do want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” board member Ron Tice said. “And I know a lot of people will be driving, so please be safe out there on the highways this time. The weather’s going to change for the worst and it’s going to get slick and so I just wish everybody a safe and happy holiday.”

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com

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* Zones quote for replacement of Windows machines unable to be upgraded to Windows 11, updated camera equipment, 27″ computer monitors, laptops, flash drive, and presentation station equipment using Tools for Schools funds in the amount of $381,285.

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* To create a position of Clerk of the Works for oversight of three new elementary schools as required by the School Building Authority.