Friday, Nov. 21, 2008

Athletics, Fine Arts Running Out of Space

By Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer

Dragon Stadium is too small, the tracks at some campuses are crumbling and many art and band classes don’t have enough space, according to a recent study.

The extra-curricular activities subcommittee reported these and other inadequacies throughout the Carroll school district at a Long-Range Facility Planning Committee meeting Nov. 13.

Fine arts and athletics tend to have the most passionate parent supporters, but those items are also the most controversial with voters, said Don Johnston, chairman of the extra-curricular activities subcommittee.

"I don’t see anything that’s over the top," said Robert Williams, chairman of the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee. "We have some obligation, as a committee, to bring this to light as a committee."

The report follows similar findings by other subcommittees dealing with facilities and technology needs throughout the district.

The technology subcommittee’s report revealed that much of the district’s computer inventory and network equipment is out of date. The facility subcommittee reported on overcrowding and the lack of space at several campuses. The populationincrease projected from the Carillon development also increases the need for a sixth elementary school in north Southlake, where schools are already crowded.

All the reports will be combined when the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee makes a final recommendation to Carroll trustees by January, after which trustees could look at ways to fund solutions to the issues. Options include a possible bond election that could come as soon as May. No cost estimates were presented.

One of the most costly improvements the committee heard about is the enlargement of home-side seating at Dragon Stadium, a new video scoreboard and an improved sound system.

The stadium was originally planned to be bigger with 9,500 seats, but the bond election met strong opposition and ultimately failed in 1998, said district spokeswoman Julie Thannum. Voters, many with young children, did not believe Dragon Stadium would ever attract 10,000 people, she said. Carroll proposed a scaled-down version with 7,500 seats in March 1999 that voters approved.

Dragon popularity has soared to the point where the stadium draws 11,000 spectators for a regular season game, including standing room only and 350 end zone seats. When the Dragons play at Texas Stadium the crowd has grown from 14,000 to 25,0000 fans.

Now other school districts, including Grapevine-Colleyville, have built bigger stadiums with video scoreboards and nicer amenities.

"The other stadiums are quickly out-pacing us," Thannum said.

However, some teachers and parents are sensitive to spending money on a video scoreboard when the district faces immediate needs in the classroom, Thannum said. The district could recoup the costs to build the scoreboard by selling advertising spots on the scoreboard, just as GCISD and the Mansfield school district have done.

Enlarging the press boxes could also be an income generator, Thannum said.

At Carroll Senior High School, Johnston said a new auxiliary gymnasium is needed for wrestling, Emerald Belles, cheerleaders and offices for baseball and softball coaches.

The weight room is also cramped with little space to move around, Johnston said.

Several schools have problems with running tracks that are cracking and peeling, including CSHS.

"You literally can pick the track up there," he said.

Another concern was the old concession stand at Carroll Middle School.

"I would venture to say that you would not want to eat anything that came out of there," Johnston said as he showed pictures inside the concession stand.

Art and band departments loom large on the list, as well.

The lack of ventilation raises safety concerns in the art room at CSHS, said Dana Lewin, who gave the presentation on fine art needs. The hazardous fumes often force students and teachers out of the room, she said.

Lewin proposed a new art wing near the tennis courts that would have natural lighting and an art gallery.

"It’s very important to have natural lighting in your art classrooms," Lewin said. The committee also proposed a new four-classroom wing that would include a technology lab and an art room at Carroll High School.

The entrance to the Dawson Middle School band hall is too small to get bigger instruments through the door, the committee was told, and the theater needs more storage space.

Koss Maycus led a presentation on maintenance and security, emphasizing the need for more security cameras at all 11 campuses.

The biggest problems are vandalism and burglary.

"It’s very apparent where the blind spots are with cameras," Maycus said. "We think parking lot security is something that needs a lot of improvement."

Maycus also proposed some new salaried positions, including a school safety official, more custodians and a team dedicated to repainting district facilities.